Hydraulic seals, also known as elastomer seals, are crucial components in different types of machinery. They are known for their high sealing ability in oil and pressure systems. Commonly used materials in the manufacturing of hydraulic seals include PTFE, polyurethane, silicone, and rubber. However, there are other materials such as nitrile, fluorocarbon, and propylene that are used according the industrial application.
Types of Hydraulic Seals
There are various types of hydraulic seals that are used in industrial applications.
- Rod Seals: This is a commonly used hydraulic seal type. Rod seals are radial seals that are designed to prevent any leakage from the housing bore of a machine. This is achieved by the sealing lip coming in contact with the machine shaft. They also seal the system pressure during a machine’s cylinder stroke phase.
- Piston Seals: Though the piston seal is seen as a separate type of hydraulic seal, it is actually a variation of the rod seal. What makes this seal different is that the sealing lip come is in contact with the entire housing bore. The main objective of the piston seal is to isolate and cover up any immense clearance between the machine’s piston and cylinder wall.
- Symmetric Seal: These seals are usually used for simple linear operations. In this seal type, the cross section of the seal is completely symmetrical, which makes it interchangeable with rod and piston seals.
Benefits of Hydraulic Seals
The use of hydraulic seals in industrial applications can provide a number of benefits:
- The seal prohibits dirt from entering any part of the internal mechanical system.
- It can be designed to work in low and high pressure system operations.
- The use of hydraulic seals can prevent any leakage, thus reducing any chances of downtime or repair.
- Blowouts on oil plants can be reduced to a great extent by using industrial seals.
- Hydraulic seals can be ordered in bulk, and are extremely reasonable in terms of price.
- A hydraulic seal can be changed by an engineer within a few minutes.
- Hydraulic seals are designed to have long service lives.
As one can see, there are many benefits to installing and using hydraulic seals in industrial applications.
