Characterisation of the conveying effect of turned radial shaft seal counter-surfaces using a simplified hydrodynamic simulation model

A typical sealing system for rotating shafts consists of the radial shaft sealing ring (RSS), the lubricant and the shaft counter-surface (SCS) of the rotating shaft. The properties of the machined surface of the SCS have an impact on the sealing system. The structural pattern of the SCS influences the lubricant flow along the axial direction. In this paper, a simplified micro scale hydrodynamic simulation model is presented in order to study and determine the axial flow of the lubricant induced by the SCS of the sealing system, isolated from the effects induced by the seal, to allow for a rating of the shaft surface. The influence of the seal was neglected to allow for a simplified simulation. Simulated shaft surfaces corresponding to different machining parameters of machined SCS are used as input. These variants of SCS were created using a kinematic model which simulates an ideal surface machining process of the shaft. A micro scale hydrodynamic simulation model is used to investigate the influence of machining parameters on the lubricant flow along the axial direction across the tribo-contact. From this investigation, the connection between parameters applied for machining of the SCS and conveying effects can be estimated. The simulation model is also validated with experimental results of hard turned shafts of different machining parameters. Differences between manufactured real surfaces and kinematically simulated surfaces are the cause of deviations between the results.