Oil Seals

Product Description

A shaft seal is one component of a three-part system consisting of a shaft, housing, and the seal. The way these components work together in a given application determines which seal design should be specified. In an assembly, the shaft rotates or oscillates inside the housing. A clearance gap between the shaft and housing is required to accommodate this motion.

The seal’s function is to prevent fluid inside the assembly from leaking through this clearance gap, as well as to contain pressure and/or to prevent outside contaminants from entering the assembly.

In order to accomplish this task, the seal must operate in two ways. It must provide a tight static seal between the outside diameter of the seal and the housing bore while providing an effective dynamic seal between the moving shaft and the seal lip. Selecting the right seal for each unique operating environment is essential to a properly functioning system.

A Shaft seal is composed of a case for rigidity and a lip for sealing. The case is made of either carbon steel or stainless steel, and the sealing element is made from one of a wide variety of elastomer compounds. The following pages provide information about the application of common seal materials in a variety of applications and temperature ranges.