WEAR OF ELASTOMERIC SEALS IN ABRASIVE SLURRIES

Seals are a critical aspect of machinery that operates in the presence of abrasive slurries. Seals act to maintain machine lubrication and p revent abrasives from affecting critical components. Over time, howeve r, the slurry will wear the seal and lead to a loss of lubrication and eventual machine failure. It is therefore important to investigate th e seal wear process in aims of improving seal design and performance. The wear process was studied by visualizing and recording the operatio n of the seal through a window using time-lapse video. Images from the test show that the wear process occurs in two stages: the break-in pe riod and the aggressive wear period. During the break-in period the se al does not wear. During the aggressive wear period, however, particle s under the contact band cluster and form an abrasive front that erode s the seal lip at a rapid rate. Based on these observations, the seal geometry was changed to include the periodic placement of various text ure topologies, including (1) a depression surrounded by a protrusion, (2) a protrusion only and (3) a depression only. Textures featuring p rotrusions act to extend the break-in period and decrease the wear rat e of the aggressive wear period. Seals with the protrusions-only textu re outlived non-textured seals by a factor of eight. (C) 1998 Publishe d by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.