Rotary shaft seals are used in a host of applications, including many that involve harsh environments or strict compliance with FDA standards. But when should PTFE be used?
Underlip Temperatures and Rotary Shaft Seals
Many engineers do not realize the impact that underlip temperatures can have on seal performance and service life, especially when elastomeric materials are used. Learn why underlip temperature is so important and what you can do to reduce its impact.
What is Underlip Temperature?
Before we can define underlip temperature, we should start out with sump temperature, which refers to the temperature of the oil/lubricant. The lip of an oil seal moves across a very thin meniscus of oil. Some friction exists between the seal lip and the shaft which can generate enough heat to increase the temperature under the lip of the seal. This temperature at the point where the seal lip and shaft make contact is referred to as the underlip temperature and it can be higher than the sump temperature, especially for higher shaft speeds.
Why Underlip Temperature is Important
If the seal lip material does not possess good thermal conductivity, the heat generated can raise the underlip temperature high enough to exceed the operating temperature limits of the seal. This will result in accelerated wear and eventual seal failure. Signs of such a problem might be a seal lip that is …
- Cracked
- Blistered
- Hardened
That is why it is important to use the estimated underlip temperature, as opposed to the sump temperature, as the expected operating temperature for a seal.
Estimating the Underlip Temperature
The underlip temperature is related to the friction between the seal and the shaft as well as the shaft speed. One way to estimate the increase in underlip temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) based on shaft speed is to take the square root of the shaft seal speed in feet per minute.
Before we look at an example, remember that …
Example 1
Suppose you need to estimate the increase in underlip temperature for a shaft rotating at 2500 fpm. The associated increase in underlip temperature would be ….
Example 2
If a 3” shaft is rotating at 2500 rpm and the sump temperature is 150°F, what would the underlip temperature be?
If the sump temperature is 150°F, then the underlip temperature is the sump temperature + the change in underlip temperature …
150°F + 44°F = 194°F
Faster Estimate
There is a faster way to estimate the underlip temperature, but it is not nearly as accurate: add 20°F for every 1000 rpm of shaft speed. However, the applicability of this estimate is limited to sump temperatures less than 210°F.
What Influences an Increased Underlip Temperatures
The underlip temperature is a function of several different characteristics. These include …
- Shaft speed
- Shaft size
- Surface condition of the shaft
- Friction between the shaft and seal
- Thermal conductivity of the seal lip material
- Oil level
In the chart below, you can see how the underlip temperature increases as the rotational shaft speed increase for a 1” diameter shaft. Even for a relatively small shaft, the increase in underlip temperature is significant.
In this next chart, it is evident how the change in underlip temperatures varies significantly as a function of shaft speed and diameter. In particular, notice that the upper limit for a 5-inch shaft rotating at 5000 rpm can lead to a 90°F increase in underlip temperature.
When specifying a seal for a specific application, the engineer has control over the surface condition of the shaft, the friction between the shaft and the seal, and the thermal conductivity of the seal lip material.
Reducing the Change in Underlip Temperatures
A smoother shaft combined with a low-friction seal lip material reduces the amount of heat generated at the point of contact, which can help reduce the increase in underlip temperature.
Furthermore, a material with high thermal conductivity will be more likely to conduct generated heat away from the seal lip, further reducing the increase in underlip temperature.
Conclusion
Polymer seal lip materials such as PTFE and PEEK provide reduced friction, higher thermal conductivity, and better performance at high temperatures than their elastomeric counterparts when used in rotary shaft seals. When elastomeric seals are exhibiting signs of failure due to high underlip temperatures (i.e., cracking, blistering, hardening), then it may be time to consider a change in seal lip material.
At Advanced EMC, our rotary shaft seal experts can help you troubleshoot the cause of premature seal failure and advise you on the best choice of material for your application. Contact us today for more information.
Rotary Shaft Seals for Automobiles
Even the simplest automobile requires a wide variety of seals, including rotary shaft seals. In this blog post, you will learn the basics of these seals within the context of the automotive industry, including the materials commonly used and why PTFE is so often recommended.
Rotary Shaft Seals
The goal of a rotary shaft seal is to prevent the leakage of oil, grease, and other fluids (e.g., transmission fluid, brake fluid, air conditioning refrigerant) while also keeping environmental contaminants out. These seals, sometimes called oil or grease seals, are used with bearings to keep lubricants within the bearing and environmental contamination out (i.e., lubrication retention). The term rotary refers to their ability to perform in the presence of both rotary and swiveling movements.
Where Rotary Shaft Seals Are Used in the Automotive Industry
Rotary shaft seals are a necessary part of many components and systems within cars, trucks, buses, high performance vehicles, and motorsports. And seals are needed for EVs (electric vehicles) and HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicles) as well. These seals are also used with ATV (All Terrain Vehicles). Some of the most common areas of application in automotive transportation are:
- Air conditioning compressors
- Braking systems
- Pumps
- Gearboxes
- Power transmissions
- Steering wheels
In most of these applications, the failure of a seal can lead to serious repercussions that include bodily injury, damage to the vehicle, and danger to those around the vehicle. Because of this, finding the right high quality seal for your application is extremely important.
Automotive Seal Operating Conditions
While the conditions for automotive rotary shaft seals do vary depending on their specific applications, the most common operating environments include …
- Extreme temperatures
- Environmental elements
- Vibration and shock loadings
- High contamination exposure
- Chemical compatibility
- Low friction
- Wear resistance
- Compliance with automotive standards
Environmental elements include exposure to sunlight, ozone, UV, and oxidation, all of which can accelerate the degradation of a seal. Contamination can include water, dirt, grease, and other debris, while the seals are likely to be exposed to materials such as diesel, hydraulic fluid, brake fluids, coolants, and chemical solvents.
Materials Used in Rotary Shaft Seals
The basic components of a spring energized seal include a flexible inner seal lip that is bonded to a rigid outer component. In addition, some of these seals may include a spring energizer to keep the lip in contact with the sealing surface (note that spring-energized seals are most commonly used for oil retention as opposed to grease retention). Furthermore, some applications may require a seal with two lips where one serves as a wiper seal or dust lip to further prevent the ingression of contaminants.
The outer material for a rotary shaft seal is responsible for seal positioning and retention in the seal housing. This part of the seal is typically made from stainless steel, aluminum, or a rigid non-metallic composite material.
The seal lip itself is made from either an elastomer or a polymer, with high performance PTFE being one of the most commonly used polymers. PTFE meets all the requirements for an effective, dependable seal lip, including the ability to handle high pressures, wide ranging chemical compatibility, extremely low friction, and excellent wear resistance. PTFE can also include additives such as carbon or MoS2 that can enhance properties such as strength, stiffness, wear resistance, and low friction.
Nitrile rubber (NBR, Buna-N) and polyacrylate rubber (ACM) are both widely used elastomeric materials for automotive rotary shaft seals. Another often used elastomer category is fluoroelastomers commonly referred to as FKM, Viton, and FPM. These offer superior performance compared to nitrile and polyacrylate, but they do cost more.
PTFE Rotary Shaft Seals
At Advanced-EMC, we highly recommend the use of PTFE rotary shaft seals in the automotive industry where possible. They provide excellent performance in the harsh conditions often involved and are the most chemically compatible and low friction polymer on the market today. They can outperform elastomeric materials and are quickly replacing their use in many applications.
There are several grades of PTFE to choose from, including …
- Virgin PTFE: light-duty service with slow speeds
- 25% Glass-filled PTFE: wear and extrusion resistant but abrasive to shafts with a hardness less than 62C
- 23% Carbon / 2% Graphite-filled PTFE: general purpose service where extrusion and deformation resistance are necessary
- 15% Glass / 5% MoS2 filled PTFE: excellent wear resistance makes it well adapted to higher speed applications
- Polyimide-filled PTFE: because of its low abrasion, works well with soft materials such as 300 SS and Aluminum
- Modified PTFE: higher mechanical strength and better wear resistance
Conclusion
Rotary shaft seals can be found everywhere from the air conditioning to the power transmission system on a vehicle. Finding the right sealing solution that can handle the extremely harsh operating conditions and high temperature environments can be challenging, but PTFE has become one of the most popular choices for the seal lip material.
If you are interested in an effective, reliable sealing solution for your automotive application, contact the knowledgeable team at Advanced-EMC today. Our engineers can work with you to find the right seal, made from the right materials, for even your most challenging designs.
4 Reasons: PTFE Rotary Shaft Seals for Low Friction High Speed Applications
PTFE Excellent Solution
PTFE rotary shaft seals are an excellent solution to high speed applications with surface speeds up to 30 m/s. In this article, we are going to look at four reasons behind that continued popularity.
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Why use a PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) instead of Rubber in a Rotary Shaft Seal?
PTFE Rotary Shaft Seals Outperform Rubber Shaft Seals
Elastomeric seals performed well for many years, but as the applications and environments became more demanding, elastomers had a hard time keeping up. If the application pressure is above 30 psi or the operating temperature goes above 275°F, elastomers simply dont perform as well as, say, PTFE. (polytetrafluoroethylene). In this article, we are going to look at 3 areas where PTFE rotary shaft seals outperform rubber shaft seals.
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