Investigation of Leakage Phenomena and Improvement of Sealing Performance of Seal Rings Used for Rotary Shafts of Automatic Transmissions

In automotive automatic transmissions, seal rings made of cast iron or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) have conventionally been installed between the rotary shaft and housing to prevent oil leakage. Recent trends have indicated that there is an increase in the number of cars with automatic transmissions (1)*, and leakage past the seal rings has become more critical from a functional view point. In this presentation, the leakage phenomena will be discussed, and seal rings with an improved shape and material will be introduced. The result of this design is a lower rate of leakage.