Improving seal durability: A comprehensive guide from design to maintenance

Seals are widely used components in industrial equipment to prevent the leakage of liquids, gases or dust. Improving the service life of seals can not only reduce equipment downtime and maintenance costs, but also improve production efficiency and equipment reliability. This article will explore in depth how to extend the service life of seals through reasonable design, material selection, installation and maintenance.

1. Reasonable design

Size and shape design:

Correctly select the size: The size of the seal should match the groove and shaft diameter. Too small or too large seals will cause leakage or increased wear.

Optimize the contact surface angle: The contact angle between the seal and the groove and shaft should be considered during design to ensure uniform pressure distribution and reduce stress concentration.

Groove design:

Reasonable groove depth and width: The depth and width of the groove should be designed according to the size of the seal to ensure that the seal has sufficient compression after installation but not excessive extrusion.

Appropriate groove surface roughness: Moderate surface roughness can increase the friction coefficient of the seal and prevent slippage, while also avoiding premature wear caused by excessive surface roughness.

2. Material selection

Heat resistance: Select heat-resistant materials such as fluororubber, silicone rubber, etc. according to the temperature range of the working environment to ensure good performance at high temperatures.

Corrosion resistance: Select materials that can resist corrosion from the working medium, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyurethane (PU), etc.

Wear resistance: Under high friction conditions, select wear-resistant materials such as high-hardness rubber or composite materials to extend service life.

Elastic recovery: The elastic recovery ability of the material determines whether the seal ring can quickly return to its original shape after pressure release. Selecting materials with high elastic recovery rate can improve the sealing effect.

3. Installation and maintenance

Proper installation:

Avoid overstretching: Avoid overstretching the seal ring during installation to prevent material fatigue and premature failure.

Use of lubricant: Appropriate lubricant can reduce friction and prevent heat generation, but ensure that the lubricant is compatible with the sealing material.

Installation tool: Use special installation tools to avoid damaging the seal ring.

Regular inspection and maintenance:

Regular inspection: Regularly check whether the seal ring has wear, cracks, deformation, etc., and replace the damaged seal ring in time.

Cleaning and protection: Keep the equipment clean to prevent impurities and corrosive substances from adhering to the seal ring and affecting its performance.

IV. Working environment control

Temperature control: Keep the temperature of the working environment within the allowable range of the equipment to avoid aging and performance degradation of the sealing material due to temperature changes.

Medium control: Control the purity of the working medium to avoid erosion of the seal ring by impurities and corrosive substances.

Vibration and impact control: Reduce the vibration and impact of the equipment to reduce additional stress on the seal ring and extend its service life.

V. Innovative technology and materials

New materials: Develop and apply new high-performance sealing materials, such as nanocomposites, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, etc., to improve the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the seal ring.

Surface treatment technology: Use surface coating or modification technology, such as ceramic coating, plasma spraying, etc., to improve the surface hardness and wear resistance of the seal ring.

Sealing structure innovation: Explore innovative sealing structure designs, such as multi-layer composite sealing, adaptive sealing, etc., to improve the sealing effect and service life.

Conclusion

Improving the service life of the seal ring is a systematic project involving design, materials, installation and maintenance, working environment control, and innovative technology. By comprehensively considering these factors and taking corresponding improvement measures, the service life of the sealing ring can be effectively extended, the reliability and production efficiency of the equipment can be improved, thus bringing greater economic benefits to the enterprise.

[DLSEALS kindly Reminder] Sealing issues? Turn to DLSEALS! As a sealing component manufacturer, we specialize in customizing sealing components, providing a full range of services from design, research and development, production, testing, and more. If you have more information you'd like to know, feel free to contact us directly. DLSEALS's product experts are dedicated to serving you!