Turbulent Operation of the Visco Seal

A theoretical analysis of the turbulent operation of the visco seal is presented. The resulting turbulent sealing equation correlated well with test data. It is shown, that good sealing capability can be obtained over a wide range of geometrical variables. It was also found that for shaft diameters over 1 inch, curvature effects are small; and that within the accuracy of the test data, the sealing capability is independent of thread location, shaft or sleeve. Power loss for seals of length to diameter ratio greater than one can be conservatively estimated by treating the seal as a smooth shaft rotating in a close clearance sleeve and neglecting the grooves.