Mechanical Face Seals

What are mechanical face seals?

Mechanical face seals, also known as toric seals, duo cone seals, floating seals and heavy duty seals are specifically designed to operate in environments where there is a high level of external contamination such as mud, sand, dirt and water. The robust simple design of mechanical face seals can be packaged neatly into a wide variety of equipment such as pumps, compressors and mixers, or in other environments where downtime would be particularly costly and conventional sealing solutions lack the required durability – such as the Oil & Gas industry.

The mechanical face seal rings are manufactured from a close grained cast iron material to offer the very best combination of wear and corrosion resistance.  The excellent tribological characteristics of this material allow mechanical face seals from FTL to be used in applications with a rotary speed up to 10m/s. Under extreme service conditions, the metallurgical qualities of our cast iron material provide outstanding resistance against seizure and scoring. 

The seal rings are statically sealed and have their face load generated by two toric O ring seals.  These are critical elements to ensure maximum performance of the overall seal system. 

Essential criteria for toric O-ring seals include:

  • High thermal resistance
  • Chemical Compatibility
  • Low Compression Set

Our elastomers have all been specified for specific use with mechanical face seals.  A range of NBR, HNBR, VMQ and FPM materials and hardness are available which allow mechanical face seal solutions to be used in a wide range of demanding applications.

To ensure correct operation, it is important that the seals and machine interface are specified correctly.  It is also critically important that the seals are assembled correctly and where necessary, with the correct installation tooling. 

Heavy duty applications of Mechanical Face Seals:

Heavy duty static and dynamic sealing technology is concerned with providing sealing solutions for machinery applications in which conventional seals lack the required durability.

The drive mechanisms for tracked vehicles and construction machinery, or the power transmission equipment for conveyor systems, sand conditioning plant, concrete and cement mixers, mining machinery and similar heavy plant are subjected to extreme abrasive stresses in the environments in which they work.

Failures can severely disrupt operations, and repairs are very costly.

FTL’s metallic mechanical face seals have served well in such arduous conditions for years.

Robust and efficient, they guarantee customers high serviceability, durability and maximum productivity of their equipment.

With on tracked vehicles it is vital to provide effective protection against abrasive media such as dust, sand, mud, stones or earth for the bearings of the tread, support and guide rollers and for wheel or axle hubs.

About Mechanical Face Seals:

  • The frictional heat generated at the contact faces between the static and dynamic components of the seal must be dissipated by ensuring adequate lubricant action.
  • The seal faces must be continuously lubricated in order to prevent pick up or galling.
  • Corrosion during stationery periods must be avoided.
  • Housings must be machined to recommended sizes and surface finished to ensure good static sealing.
  • Cleanliness must be ensured during assembly.

Advantages of Mechanical Face Seals:

  • High reliability
  • Cost effective sealing against external (dirt, sand, water) and internal (oil, grease) media
  • Long service life with no maintenance required
  • Easy assembly
  • Self-centering, compensating for shaft misalignment and eccentricity

Common applications of Mechanical Face Seals:

Mechanical Face Seals in Mining:

  • Tracked vehicles (including bulldozers and excavators)
  • Heavy trucks
  • Conveyor systems
  • Axles
  • Heavy duty machinery in agriculture and mining
  • Oil-cooled disc brakes
  • Armoured face conveyors
  • Tunnelling machines
  • Tension sprockets
  • Suspension arm
     

Mechanical Face Seals in Construction:

  • Hub seals
  • Oil Cooled Disc Brakes
  • Track Rollers
  • Final Drive Systems
  • Hydrostatic transmissions

Mechanical Face Seals in Military:

  • Final Drive Gearboxes
  • Suspension Arms
  • Track Rollers
  • Road wheels
  • Tension Sprockets

How can we help? For more information about mechanical face seals, contact our sealing engineers today using our live chat facility.

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