Mechanical Seals A mechanical seal is a sealing device which forms a running seal between rotating and stationary parts.

They were developed to overcome the disadvantages of compression packing. Leakage can be reduced to a level meeting environmental standards of government regulating agencies and maintenance costs can be lower. Advantages of mechanical seals over conventional packing are as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Zero or limited leakage of product (meet emission regulations.) Reduced friction and power loss. Elimination of shaft or sleeve wear. Reduced maintenance costs. Ability to seal higher pressures and more corrosive environments. The wide variety of designs allows use of mechanical seals in almost all pump applications.

The Basic Mechanical Seal All mechanical seals are constructed of three basic sets of parts as shown in Fig 1. A set of primary seal faces: one rotary and one stationary?shown in Fig. 9 as seal ring and insert. 2. A set of secondary seals known as shaft packings and insert mountings such as 0-rings, wedges and Vrings. 3. Mechanical seal hardware including gland rings, collars, compression rings, pins, springs and bellows.

Fig. A Simple Mechcanical Seal How A Mechanical Seal Works The primary seal is achieved by two very flat, lapped faces which create a difficult leakage path perpendicular to the shaft. Rubbing contact between these two flat mating surfaces minimizes leakage. As in all seals, one face is held stationary in a housing and the other face is fixed to, and rotates with, the shaft. One of the faces is usually a non-galling material such as carbon-graphite. The other is usually a relatively hard material like silicon-carbide. Dissimilar materials are usually used for the stationary insert and the rotating seal ring face in order to prevent adhesion of the two faces. The softer face usually has the smaller mating surface and is commonly called the wear nose. Mechanical Seal Selection The proper selection of a mechanical seal can be made only if the full operating conditions are known: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Liquid Pressure Temperature Characteristics of Liquid Reliability and Emission Concerns

1. Liquid: Identification of the exact liquid to be handled is the first step in seal selection. The metal parts must be corrosion resistant, usually steel, bronze, stainless steel, or Hastelloy. The mating faces must also

resist corrosion and wear. Carbon, ceramic, silicon carbide or tungsten carbide may be considered. Stationary sealing members of Buna, EPR, Viton and Teflon are common. 2. Pressure: The proper type of seal, balanced or unbalanced, is based on the pressure on the seal and on the seal size. 3. Temperature: In part, determines the use of the sealing members. Materials must be selected to handle liquid temperature. 4. Characteristics of Liquid: Abrasive liquids create excessive wear and short seal life. Double seals or clear liquid flushing from an external source allow the use of mechanical seals on these difficult liquids. On light hydrocarbons balanced seals are often used for longer seal life even though pressures are low. 5. Reliability and Emission Concerns: The seal type and arrangement selected must meet the desired reliability and emission standards for the pump application. Double seals and double gas barrier seals are becoming the seals of choice. Mechanical Seal Types There are a number of mechanical seal types, each providing advantages for specific applications: the pusher type, the non-pusher, unbalanced, balanced, conventional, and cartridge type. Pusher and Non-Pusher Pusher type seals use an axially mounted spring on the shaft sealing assembly to impart a fixed sealing force to the seal effacement. Non-pusher springs use a sealed bellows instead of a spring for pushing the effacement halves together. Both are of modest complexity and cost, and tolerate slight amounts of misalignment and vibration. Balanced and Unbalanced Balanced mechanical seals handle higher pressures and are better suited for liquids that have lower lubrication qualities. Unbalanced seals also work better in situations with higher vibration or misalignment. Conventional Conventional mechanical seals are generalized for use on applications that may not have originally been designed with mechanical seals, instead being designed with lip seals. They are mainly intended for retrofits and upgrades of pumps and compressors and may require some engineering and maintenance effort to effect the change. Cartridge Type Cartridge mechanical seals provide the entire mechanical seal package in an easy to replace package that neatly fits inside the cartridge type housing. Cartridge type seals provide the required static sealing to both the spinning shaft and stationary housing. Many modern pump builders incorporate these common cartridge type mechanical seals into their newer products to provide easier maintenance. Static and Dynamic seals
Static seals exist where there is no relative motion between the mating surfaces being sealed. Static seals are easier to design because they can handle wider tolerances, rougher surface finishes, and higher pressure limits. There are four major types of static seals: STATIC RADIAL SEALS Static radial seals are formed when squeeze (compression) is applied to the inside diameter (I.D.) and outside diameter (O.D.) of the O-ring. Cap and plug type configurations commonly utilize radial seals. STATIC AXIAL (FACE) SEALS Static axial seals (also known as face seals) are formed when squeeze is applied to the top and bottom surfaces of the O-ring. Axial seals are most often used in face (flange) type designs where an O-ring seats against the grooves low-pressure side. STATIC SEALS WITH DOVETAIL GROOVES Dovetails are face type designs that have been customized to form static seals by structurally immobilizing the O-ring within the gland. Dovetails are more expensive and difficult to design and install than the other types of static seals.

STATIC CRUSH SEALS Static crush seals use a male cover with a machined 45 angle to crush an O-ring into the corner of a triangular gland. Because the resulting distortion to the O-ring is permanent, it cannot be reused later. STRAIGHT THREAD TUBE FITTING SEALS Another static seal application is the straight thread tube fitting seal. In contrast to static seals, dynamic seals exist where there is relative motion between the mating surfaces being sealed. In most instances, the dimensional variations inherent in dynamic seals make them more difficult to design and more expensive to construct than static seals. Nevertheless, dynamic O-ring seals are indispensable to a wide variety of applications. Heres a closer look at the major types of dynamic seals: RECIPROCATING SEALS Reciprocating seals involve relative reciprocating motion along the shaft axis between the inner and outer elements. In reciprocating seal applications, the O-ring slides or rocks back and forth within its gland with the reciprocating motion.Reciprocating seals are most often seen in cylinders and linear actuators. FLOATING PNEUMATIC PISTON SEALS Floating pneumatic piston seals are reciprocating in nature, but the way in which the seals are affected is unique. Normal reciprocating designs rely on the O-ring being stretched over a piston and then squeezed radially (on the inside diameter, or I.D., and the outside diameter, or O.D.). ROTARY SEALS Rotary seals involve motion between a shaft and a housing. Typical rotary seals include motor shafts and wheels on a fixed axle. OSCILLATING SEALS Oscillating seals are commonly used in faucet valves. In oscillating applications, the shaft or housing rotates back and forth through a limited number of turns around the axis of the shaft. Because the surface speed in oscillating seals is so slow, reciprocating design charts are used.