Shaft wear caused by oil seal
Shaft wear caused by oil seal
(OP)
Oil seal creates a groove in the shaft over a period of time. What causes this problem? What can be done to reduce or eliminate the problem? Can someone suggest any useful websites on this? Thank you





RE: Shaft wear caused by oil seal
Even the purest water or fluid can still give problems though: the rubber on most commercial seals is the cheapest possible stuff, and as such contains carbon black and other things as filler. When wet/damp, carbon can be somewhat lubricative (lubricious? lubricatorative?), but when dry (e.g. when seal is hot) it's an abrasive. You can try getting a harder shaft material, or using a seal with minimal fillers and/or lead compounds as fillers, to give better lubrication, and it will help somewhat. The latter course will have you talking to seal manufacturers, such as John Guest, who may tell you something completely different, as they are experts.
RE: Shaft wear caused by oil seal
FWIW - take a look at pump shaft seals, these typically have a mechanical wear element built in, one side is graphite and the other is a ceramic, and the two parts are spring-loaded to maintain a seal (the rubber part that squeezes onto the shaft is static, i.e. rotates with the shaft).
RE: Shaft wear caused by oil seal
To reduce wear on a good shaft, you can use a seal with a wavy lip, or install a regular lip seal with a slight tilt; both cause the seal to wear a larger area of the shaft, so it takes longer for the shaft to become unusable.
If it doesn't contaminate the fluid you're trying to contain, any lip seal will last longer if it's packed with light grease when first installed.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Shaft wear caused by oil seal
Repair the shaft with a repair sleeve. If the sleeve is harder than the shaft, sealing life will be improved.
h
http://www.epm.com/ptfe_oil.htm
Ted
RE: Shaft wear caused by oil seal
This is what I would often do for shafts that this happened to and I would not have any more problems.
RE: Shaft wear caused by oil seal
Heckler![[americanflag] americanflag](https://www.tipmaster.com/images/americanflag.gif)
Sr. Mechanical Engineer
SWx 2007 SP 4.0 & Pro/E 2001
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"Avoid the base hypocrisy of condemning in one man what you pass over in silence when committed by another." -- Theodor
RE: Shaft wear caused by oil seal
RE: Shaft wear caused by oil seal