Comparison of dimples and grooves based on friction and leakage properties of textured mechanical seals
Industrial Lubrication and Tribology
ISSN: 0036-8792
Article publication date: 15 December 2022
Issue publication date: 15 February 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to obtain a design scheme of the surface texture on mechanical seal with lower friction and leakage by comparing two common texture types: dimples and grooves.
Design/methodology/approach
An optimal free-form shape and an optimal circular shape were chosen by multi-objective optimization, and two types of grooves with different directions were chosen by a series of experiments. Then, the optimal free-form dimple, the optimal circular dimple, the groove perpendicular to the direction of movement (hereafter called groove-1) and the groove angled at 60° to the direction of movement (hereafter called groove-2) were compared by experiments under different loads.
Findings
The optimal free-form dimple shows a better performance in terms of a lower coefficient of friction (COF) and a lower leakage than the other shapes, especially for the high speed and low load conditions. The reduction rate of COF is up to 37.5%, and the leakage rate is reduced by about 12.5%. The dimples have a lower leakage than the grooves. The groove angled at 60° to the direction of movement is easier to pump the oil into the interface of the sealing face, leading to a lower friction but a higher leakage.
Originality/value
This study provides a feasible surface texture design scheme for improving the combination performance of mechanical seals.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge scientific and financial support by the Talent Introduction Foundation of Jiangsu University of Technology under Grant number KYY19001; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant number 52005230; the Changzhou Science and Technology Planning Project under Grant number CJ20210067; and the Outstanding Young Backbone Teacher of Jiangsu Qinglan Project.
Research funding: This work is supported by the Talent Introduction Foundation of Jiangsu University of Technology under Grant number KYY19001; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant number 52005230; the Changzhou Science and Technology Planning Project under Grant number CJ20210067; and the Outstanding Young Backbone Teacher of Jiangsu Qinglan Project.
Citation
Wang, X., Chen, Y., Ding, K. and Yu, C. (2023), "Comparison of dimples and grooves based on friction and leakage properties of textured mechanical seals", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 75 No. 2, pp. 184-189. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILT-09-2022-0294
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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