INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT SHAFT SURFACE FINISHES ON THE LUBRICATION AND FRICTION CONDITION OF ELASTOMERIC LIP SEALS

The duty parameter diagram is a common tool to compare and analyse the lubrication and friction condition of different radial shaft sealing systems. In addition, it also allows an evaluation of the suitability of differently manufactured sealing counterfaces. This paper deals with the influences of different shaft surface structures on the formation of a lubricating film and a sealing gap. For this purpose, friction torque measurements were carried out, starting from very low sliding speeds of about 0.0042 m/s (corresponds to 1 rpm at a shaft diameter of 80 mm) up to 10.5 m/s. The aim is to cover the mixed friction area in addition to the liquid friction area and thus determine the position of the transition point between both friction states.