Radial Lip Seal Analysis—Finite Element Solution for a Body of Revolution

To deal with the complex geometry of radial lip seals, in particular the metal-to-rubber boundary and multiple lips, the elasticity equations for a body of revolution are an important step to improve the accuracy of the predicted solution. A nonlinear strain displacement finite element solution of the elasticity equations for a body of revolution is presented here. Following Zienkiewia. (1), the equations are derived from the work equivalence principle generalized to nonlinear problems. Realistic levels of Poisson's ratio present no difficulty when a technique of reduced integration is used (2), The elastic law is Hooke's law with thermal expansion.

External forces can be volume forces or surface forces. Both are converted into consistent nodal forces. Boundary conditions can be any combination of forces or displacements on any given node. This paper presents the equations and the solution by the finite element method as well as an extensive verification of the program prediction for thermal shrinkage of the seal from mold to ambient temperature, showing remarkable agreement with experiments in a large number of cases. Comparison of the prediction of the program for radial load and axial movement of the lip against experiment are also given, as well as comparison with the results of the previous code for conical shells.