The Effect of Interference on the Friction Torque Characteristics of TPU Based Rotary Lip Seals

The effects of radial force (interface) produced by interference on the static contact properties and frictional characteristics of a radial lip seal are investigated by experimentally. For this reason, a test system has been developed. In this test system, a cylinder is placed on four load cells in order to monitor the friction torque generated between seal and counter face. A group of experiments are carried out with thermoplastic polyurethane radial lip seals. Three different inner diameters (40, 39.80 and 39.60 mm) are selected and the seals are tested under 0.5 and 0.3 bar for a short period. The frictional torque was measured and compared for different inner diameters. As a result, it is observed that the amount of interference effects seal friction torques based on seal material and seal design in different ratios.