Lubrication film flow control by oriented dimples for liquid lubricated mechanical seals

Abstract Apart from the function such as micro-hydrodynamic bearings, lubrication reservoir and debris traps, surface textures can be used to control the lubricant׳s flow. In this paper, the leak control feasibility is numerically validated by processing some different oriented dimples on the mechanical seals, including the elliptical, diamond, triangular and rectangular shapes. The streamline-Upwind/Petrov–Galerkin (SUPG) finite element method is used to solve the Reynolds equation by considering mass conservation. Parametric study is performed to analyze the effect of the geometric parameter on the sealing performance such as the flow rate and the load-carrying capability. The reverse pumping capability is compared among these oriented dimples.

[1]  J. F. Booker,et al.  A Finite Element Cavitation Algorithm , 1991 .

[2]  Bart Raeymaekers,et al.  The effect of texture shape on the friction coefficient and stiffness of gas-lubricated parallel slider bearings , 2013 .

[4]  I. Etsion,et al.  Improving fuel efficiency with laser surface textured piston rings , 2009 .

[5]  Roberto F. Ausas,et al.  The Impact of the Cavitation Model in the Analysis of Microtextured Lubricated Journal Bearings , 2007 .

[6]  Bart Raeymaekers,et al.  The Effect of Texture Shape on the Load-Carrying Capacity of Gas-Lubricated Parallel Slider Bearings , 2012, Tribology Letters.

[7]  Alan O. Lebeck.  Experiments and Modeling of Zero Leakage Backward Pumping Mechanical Face Seals , 2008 .

[8]  T. Lai,et al.  Development of non-contacting, non-leaking spiral groove liquid face seals , 1994 .

[9]  Noël Brunetière,et al.  Numerical analysis of a surface-textured mechanical seal operating in mixed lubrication regime , 2012 .

[10]  Roberto F. Ausas,et al.  A Mass-Conserving Algorithm for Dynamical Lubrication Problems With Cavitation , 2009 .

[11]  A. Lipschitz.  A Zero-Leakage Film Riding Face Seal , 1985 .

[12]  Yi Wan,et al.  The effect of laser surface texturing on frictional performance of face seal , 2008 .

[13]  Neil M. Wallace,et al.  The Development Of Low Friction, Low Leakage Mechanical Seals Using Laser Technology , 1994 .

[14]  Victor Brizmer,et al.  A Laser Surface Textured Journal Bearing , 2012 .

[15]  Wei Huang,et al.  Orientation effects of micro-grooves on sliding surfaces , 2011 .

[16]  T. Keith,et al.  Prediction of Cavitation in Journal Bearings Using a Boundary Element Method , 1995 .

[17]  R. Pandey,et al.  Thermal analysis of microtextured journal bearing using non-Newtonian rheology of lubricant and JFO boundary conditions , 2014 .

[19]  R. Cook,et al.  Concepts and Applications of Finite Element Analysis , 1974 .

[20]  Michael M. Khonsari,et al.  Experimental investigation of tribological performance of laser textured stainless steel rings , 2011 .

[21]  Xudong Peng,et al.  A Hydrodynamic Laser Surface-Textured Gas Mechanical Face Seal , 2010 .

[22]  I. Etsion,et al.  A Laser Surface Textured Hydrostatic Mechanical Seal , 2002 .

[23]  Xu-dong Peng,et al.  An efficient adaptive finite element method algorithm with mass conservation for analysis of liquid face seals , 2014 .

[24]  G. S. Buck,et al.  Upstream pumping : a new concept in mechanical sealing technology , 1990 .

[25]  Fei Zhou,et al.  Geometric Shape Effects of Surface Texture on the Generation of Hydrodynamic Pressure Between Conformal Contacting Surfaces , 2010 .

[26]  Eduardo Tomanik,et al.  Modelling the hydrodynamic support of cylinder bore and piston rings with laser textured surfaces , 2013 .

[27]  Michael M. Khonsari,et al.  On the Prediction of Cavitation in Dimples Using a Mass-Conservative Algorithm , 2009 .

[28]  M. Khonsari,et al.  Effect of Dimple’s Internal Structure on Hydrodynamic Lubrication , 2013, Tribology Letters.

[29]  I. Etsion.  A New Concept of Zero-Leakage Noncontacting Mechanical Face Seal , 1984 .

[30]  F. Shi,et al.  An Implicit Finite Element Cavitation Algorithm , 2002 .

[31]  T. V. V. L. N. Rao,et al.  Analysis of slider and journal bearing using partially textured slip surface , 2012 .

[32]  Xiaolei Wang,et al.  The effect of dimple shapes on friction of parallel surfaces , 2011 .

[33]  Lyndon Scott Stephens,et al.  Experimental Benchmarking of the Numerical Model of a Radial Lip Seal with a Surface Textured Shaft , 2013 .