Basic Things you Should Know About Oil Seals – Part 1

Oil seals play a crucial role in all rotating and moving part assembly as they act as a physical barrier to retain lubricants, whilst excluding dirt, moisture and other contamination. They are manufactured in a wide range of sizes and specifications to meet several demanding sealing applications across industries. This post, which has two parts, discusses some of the must know things about oil seals. Read on to understand the seals better!

 General Features of Oil Seals

Designed to offer optimum sealing performance, oil seals guarantee extreme durability even under high-peripheral speed. They are light-weight, compact, and exhibit high self-lubricating performance. As oil seals are manufactured using high-grade materials, they last long without showing the signs of any kind of hardening, softening or ageing.

Types of Oil Seals

As mentioned earlier, oil seals are available in varied designs to best match the applications. A few of the commonly available types include:

• Type A single lip rubber coated w/spring
• Type ADL double lip rubber coated w/spring
• Type AO single lip rubber coated – no spring
• Type AODL double lip
• Type B single metal lip-metal case w/spring
• Type BDL double lip
• Type BO single lip – metal case
• Type BODL double lip metal case
• Type C single lip full metal case w/spring

Choosing the right seal is important as it determines the sealing performance by effectively preventing the leakage of lubricating oils and the ingress of contaminants.

 Materials of Choice

Oil seals are made from several materials. However, the material must be chosen considering several parameters including operating temperature, environment, pressure, and maximum shaft surface speed, among others. The most commonly used materials for oil seal construction are as follow:

• PolyTetraFluoroEthylene (PTFE)
• Fluoroelastomer ( Viton )
• Silicon
• Poly Acetal
• Nitrile
• General Purpose Polyurethane
• Nitrile Buna Rubber
• Fluorocarbon
• Perfluoroelastomer
• Polyacetal
• Thermoplastic Elastomer
• PTFE Filled Polyamid
• Hot Water Resistant Polyurethane
• Hodrogenated Nitrile
• Ethylene Propylene
• Fluoro-Silicone
• Polyetheretherkeytone
• Polyamid
• Polytetrafluoroethylene*
• Composites
• Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene

 Applications of Oil Seals

Oils seals find immense applications in agriculture, automotive, construction, material handling, mining, oil and gas, and so on. They are used in the assembly of:

• Conveyors
• Elevators
• Engines
• Grinding Mills
• Pipelines
• Wind Turbines

 So far, we have discussed features, types, materials used in the construction, and applications of oil seals. In the next post, we will discuss few more general things about oil seals.

Related Post

Shaft seals, dirt seals, grease seals, lip seals, and many other names are only a few of the many names given to oil seals. They are simple components used in rotary shaft machinery to keep oil from leaking and impurities like dust, dirt, and water out. However, an oil seal’s most crucial role is to safeguard all ball, sleeve, and roller bearing types found in rotating shafts. Additionally, the seals stop blending two fluids that shouldn’t mix, such as water and oil.

What are oil seals?

A mechanical tool called an oil seal keeps lubricant from leaking out of the machine. It accomplishes its goal by sealing the equipment’s moving and stationary parts. Additionally, it prevents impurities from getting inside the machine and shortens its lifespan, an important role it completes.

Numerous oil seals exist, including PTFE lip oil seals, rubber fabric oil seals, and rotating V-seals.

An oil seal kit is a set of oil seals with the necessary dimensions and desired characteristics. An oil seal kit is more cost-effective and advantageous than buying individual oil seals.

Types of oil seal NBC offer 

Oil or other seals can be used for grease and oil seals. A flexible lip, radial lip, or rotating shaft seal are different names for an oil seal. Single lip, double lip, triple lip, and four or more lips are frequent configurations.

Due to eliminating the fluid lip using poly inserts and rotors, the Efficiency Plus (EP) seal has a reduced torque value of fewer than 15 in-lbs. Although it features a triple dust lip rather than a double dust lip, the dust lip is still a molded component of the design. A labyrinth-like insert and rotor interlock each other to replace the fluid lip. NBC Brenco labyrinth provides excellent grease while lowering the torque required to rotate the seal.

• Single lip oil seal

• Metal cased

• All rubber or polymers

• Internal orientation

• External orientation

• Axial orientation

• Spring-energized

• To serve as a physical barrier that keeps the lubricant in the designated area.

• To stop the lubricating oil from leaking outside despite high oil pressure.

• Act as a barrier to keep debris, contaminants, and other outside elements out of the system containing the lubricating oil.

Why is bearing a seal important?

Why are sealed bearings favored over the unsealed alternative? Why ought sealed ball bearings be preferred to unsealed ones? What advantages can sealed ball bearings offer?

• Worry-free lubrication

• No contact

• Self-contained

What are bearing isolators?

Dynamic seals called bearing isolators are used to shield bearings from external impurities. They are revolving (rotor) and stationary (stator) elements. O-rings or strong seals are used in some bearing isolators, while they are constructed like labyrinths in others.

Different types of bearing seals

For many bearings, a good bearing seal is essential. Bearing seals perform a dual function by keeping lubricants from leaking out while preventing impurities from entering your parts. Both procedures can help your bearings last longer, but choosing the proper seals for your components is critical. Different types of bearing seals include:

• Contact seals

• No-contact seals

• Labyrinth seals

Pick the proper seal for your bearing with the NBC bearing

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Several variables, including maximum temperatures, required lubricants, available space, and more, may influence your choice of bearing seal. Each factor can affect the type of bearing best for your application, the amount of material required, and other factors.

Although the choice of seals is crucial to the effectiveness of your bearings, you don’t have to make that choice alone. Our experts at NBC bearings can collaborate with you to identify the bearings and bearing seals that provide the best, most affordable solution for your application, environment, and finished product.