A Study of the Sealing Mechanism of Radial Lip Seal with Helical Ribs – Measurement of the Lubricant Fluid Behavior Under Sealing Contact

In order to clarify the sealing mechanism of radial lip seals, a new test apparatus with a hollow glass shaft was developed, and the fluid behavior under sealing condition was observed by using the Laser Induced Fluorescent (LIF) method. In this paper, the description of the test apparatus and first measurement results are shown.

A laser dye dissolved in synthetic oil below the seal lip was excited at a wavelength of 427nm by a SHG solid state blue light laser. The fluorescence was detected by a CCD camera through an optical filter. The fluid paths of the oil beneath the seal lip appeared ahead of each rib as soon as a shaft started to rotate. Furthermore, the intensity of the fluorescence, which is related to the fluid film thickness, increased with shaft speed increasing. First measurement results obtained with the LIF method were in good agreement with other measurement results.