Study of the performance of an innovative lip-seal

Mechanical simulations are performed to study the performance of an innovative seal in a gear pump. The problem addressed involves the interaction between the metallic motor shaft and the rubber seal, where continuous operation induces wear and deformation, ultimately leading to fluid leakage.

By developing a digital twin of the pump assembly, we are able to accurately reproduce the insertion of the seal into its housing. To ensure a comprehensive representation, the mechanical behavior of the lip-seal is characterized through dedicated experimental tests, including compression, friction, and contact deformation analyses.

The mechanical behavior of the lip-seal is characterized through dedicated experimental tests. Computational evaluation of the final configuration

Goal: Reproduction of the insertion process, analysis of the contact forces between the shaft and the seal, assessment of the final configuration and analysis of the stress contour map

Methods: CAD cleaning and repairing, finite volume analysis and computational tools

Results: Development of a digital twin able to reproduce the insertion of the seal within the housing of the pump. Moreover, in order to have a comprehensive model, the mechanical behavior of the lip-seal was assessed through experimental tests