Computational fluid dynamics of the lubricant flow in the sealing gap of rotary shaft seals

Abstract

The lubricant flow in the sealing gap significantly affects the sealing behavior of rotary shaft seals. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are applied here to analyze these fluid flows. A decisive input parameter is the sealing gap height respectively the lubricant film thickness. The film thickness is estimated on the basis of several analytical elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) equations. The results for sealing characteristics such as the pumping rate and the friction torque derived from the numerical analyses are compared and discussed with the results obtained from test rig studies. This allows the validity of the applied methods to be verified.