An EHL Analysis of an All-Metal Viscoelastic High-Pressure Seal

Abstract

An EHL (elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication) analysis of an all-metal viscoelastic high-pressure seal is presented. The fluid flow is assumed to be laminar and isothermal, and its inertial effect is neglected. Deformation of the cylinder and plunger is governed by Lame’s formula for a thick-walled cylinder. The pressure-viscosity and pressure-density relationships of a working fluid are assumed to satisfy the Burus and Dowson-Higginson formulas, respectively. The leakage rate of the seal decreases almost exponentially with an increase in the working pressure, while its minimum film thickness can remain at about seventy percent of its nominal value at high working pressures. The radial stiffness increases significantly with an increase in the working pressure, i.e., stable operations of the seal can be expected.