The rotary lip seal is the most widely used dynamic seal. It is used extensively in the automotive and appliance industries. Experimentally, it is well known that the microasperities on the shaft surface can significantly affect the performance of a lip seal, even though the shaft roughness, after run-in, is much smaller than the lip roughness. In the present study, several deterministic numerical models are developed to investigate the effect of shaft surface finish on rotary lip seal behavior, through an understanding of the basic physics of lip seal operation. This project is performed in a step by step manner with gradually increasing complexity. Four models are included in this study: hydrodynamic analysis, elastohydrodynamic analysis for full film lubrication, mixed-EHL model for mixed lubrication with asperity contact, and transient dynamic mixed-EHL model for startup and shutdown processes. Those analyses allow the examination of some important seal characteristics, such as the load support sharing between hydrodynamic and contact pressure, contact and cavitation area ratio, reverse pumping rate, liftoff speed for tracing the liftoff process and average film thickness. The development of fluid, contact and cavitation areas as a result of the changing operation condition is also examined. The results of the present deterministic modeling indicate that shaft surface roughness can produce significant desirable effects on lip seal behavior. An appropriate shaft surface profile could improve the sealing ability and prevent seal failure.

A thorough investigation on the existing hydrodynamic lubrication theories and the reverse pumping theories for the conventional lip seal is conducted. On that basis, the algorithms and the methods used in the numerical modeling of the conventional lip seal are modified and applied to the study of the lip seal running against surface textured shafts. For each step of the study, the numerical model is benchmarked against the experimental results. Important physical mechanisms which explain the reverse pumping ability of the triangular surface structures are revealed. Meanwhile, the accuracy of the numerical model is tested. In general, the numerical simulation results match the experimental observation well. However, there are several important discrepancies. For each discrepancy the possible causes are discussed, which benefits the further attempts of the modeling work on the lip seal running against surface textured shafts. The conclusions of this study themselves can be used as a guidance to the design of the surface textured shafts for the lip seal applications. Finally the limitation of the current theories and the modeling methods are discussed and reasonable improvements which can be done are proposed for the future work.

A clutch actuator is used in a vehicle to transmit movement and force from the clutch pedal to the release bearing of the clutch. A pneumatic clutch actuator consists of an anodised aluminium cylinder, inside of which a piston, with a rubber lip seal and a PTFE guiding ring, slides. The system is lubricated with silicone grease before assembly. A commercial clutch actuator of this type, has a service life of 3 million actuations and must function in a wide temperature range, from -40 ºC to 140 ºC. In this thesis, the complex tribological system of pneumatic clutch actuators has been studied. Field worn actuators have been disassembled and investigated. A laboratory test method has been developed to understand the tribomechanisms present in pneumatic clutch actuators. The test method's capability of simulating the real contact has been verified, by the comparison with studied actuators from the field. The influence of contact parameters: temperature, load, lubrication and particle contamination, has been investigated. In addition, different anodised aluminium surfaces have been studied. The manufacturing method of the aluminium cylinder influences surface topography and structure of the oxide, resulting in different mechanical and frictional properties. The wear during tests with only silicone grease is reminiscent, but on a lower scale, to the wear during tests with a mixture of silicone grease and standard dust. The initially applied amount of silicone grease is not important, the friction seems to depend on the amount of silicone grease that is dragged into or pushed out from the contact area during testing. Silicone grease lubrication reduces wear of the lip seal. However, during some tests, an adhesive layer, composed of  grease residuals and some PTFE, was formed on the lip. A triple PTFE transfer, from guiding ring to aluminium surface, to lip seal, to aluminium surface, occurred. Such transfer of material from the PTFE guiding ring was detected from the unlubricated tests, and also from the silicone grease lubricated tests, i.e. silicone grease lubrication does not prevent PTFE material transfer.

An elastohydrodynamic analysis of a rotary lip seal is performed numerically, incorporating both the fluid mechanics of the lubricating film and the elastic deformation of the lip, by solving the Reynolds equation with flow factors. Asperities on the lip surface dominate the behavior of the flow field in the lubricating film and the elastic deformation of the lip. Since previous analyses treated those asperities deterministically, they required very large computation times. The present approach is much less computationally intensive because the asperities are treated statistically. Since cavitation and asperity orientation play important roles, these are taken into account in the computation of the flow factors. An asperity distortion analysis is introduced to obtain a more realistic model of the complex variations in the asperity distribution on the surface of the seal. Results of the analysis show how the operating parameters of the seal and the characteristics of the asperities affect such seal characteristics as the thickness of the lubricating film, reverse pumping rate, power dissipation and load carrying capacity.

In past studies, several techniques have been employed to create microscopic features on relatively simple surfaces. Of these, lithography-based techniques have proven effective at manufacturing large fields of deterministic microasperities and microcavities on planar and cylindrical substrates. The present study focuses on adapting UV-lithography to a more complex substrate. Machined from stainless steel, a conical mold insert introduces an interesting geometry designed for the injection molding of radial lip seal elastomer. The distinct shape of this mold insert poises unique challenges to a conventional lithography procedure. Spray application is investigated as a feasible means to deposit layers of photoresist on the surface. An appropriate masking element is designed and created to facilitate transfer of a particular pattern via UV exposure. A clamping technique is implemented to align and secure the photomask. These techniques are incorporated into a three-day process, and results are obtained through optical microscopy and light interferometry. By applying Design of Experiments (DOE) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), significant process variables are indentified. Based on these findings, refinements to the process are enabled and future considerations are made evident.

Previous experimental and theoretical results indicate that the keys to successful radial lip seals are the surface characteristics of the shaft and the microasperity pattern that develops due to wear on the elastomer. In this study, the lip seal was tested against five different patterns of shaft surface: plain stainless steel, triangular cavities oriented towards air, triangular cavities oriented towards oil, triangular cavities leading and triangular cavities lagging. Using Zygo optical profilometer and scanning electron microscope, a thorough surface characterization of the micro-asperities and microcavities is done on the lip seal elastomer. Correlation coefficients were calculated between the surface parameters of the final shaft surface and elastomer. Although both the surface characteristics of the shaft and the micro-asperities that develop on the elastomer sealing zone are responsible for a successful operation of the lip seal, the deterministic triangular micro-cavity patterns created on the shaft surface dominated the pumping direction with a large variability in the pumping rate. This variability is due to the elastomer wear in. This study also finds a significant correlation between the axial position of minimum roughness on the sealing zone of the elastomer and the pumping rate of the lip seals.

Cela fait environ soixante ans que l'on s'intéresse à la compréhension et à la modélisation du comportement Elastohydrodynamique (EHD) des joints à lèvres. Cependant, on peut considérer que, jusqu'à présent, leur modélisation n'a pas été totalement et rigoureusement traitée. En effet, même si de nombreuses études ont été consacrées à cette modélisation, plusieurs questions ont été soulevées et font toujours l'objet de controverses entre les chercheurs, à savoir l'impact sur les performances des joints à lèvre de l'effet des surfaces texturées de l'arbre, de la loi adoptée pour le comportement mécanique des joints à lèvre, de la démarche utilisée pour l'élaboration de la matrice de compliance (matrice de souplesse), de l'importance de supposer l'arbre lisse ou rugueux, ainsi que la valeur du rapport entre la largeur du contact et la longueur d'onde du défaut suivant la direction circonférentielle de la lèvre.Dans cette thèse, nous avons tenté d'apporter de façon rigoureuse des réponses claires et précises à toutes ces questions en élaborant et en validant un outil de simulation EHD complet pour les joints à lèvre qui tienne compte de presque tous les paramètres, à savoir une loi de comportement du matériau du joint précise, une matrice de souplesse rigoureusement validée et un arbre qui peut être lisse, rugueux et/ou texturé. De plus, un second modèle analytique est proposé. Il traite le comportement vibratoire du "squeeze film", en tenant compte de la non linéarité des caractéristiques intrinsèques du joint et du film. / It's about sixty years that we are interested in understanding and modeling the Elastohydrodynamic behavior (EHD) of rotary lip seals. However, we can consider that, until now, their modeling has not been accurately treated. Even though many studies have been devoted to this model, several questions have been raised and are still the subject of controversy among researchers, namely the parameters influencing on the rotary lip seals performance, such as: the shaft surface textured, the law adopted for the mechanical behavior of lip seals, the approach used to develop the matrix of compliance, the importance of assuming the smooth or rough shaft, and finally the ratio between the width of contact and the wavelength according the circumferential direction of the lip roughness.The main goal of this thesis is to answer rigorously these questions by developing and validating a numerical tool for EHD rotary lip seals modeling, that takes into account: the lip law behavior, the compliance matrix rigorously validated by assuming smooth shaft case, or rough and textured shaft case. In addition, an analytical approach is proposed, models the vibratory behavior of the "squeeze film". This implies a nonlinear comportment that is taken into account.

Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) exhaust components are exposed to extreme operating temperatures. Thus, it is necessary that they are designed with materials that can sustain thermal and vibrational stresses. This study investigates the wear mechanisms and tribological performance of the exhaust manifold joint in Scania CV diesel trucks, focusing on the lip seal ring between the exhaust and turbo manifolds. The joint is prone to wear due to thermal and vibrational stresses, impacting its service life and raising environmental concerns. The manifold material, ductile cast iron SiMo51, offers good thermal resistance, while the lip seal ring, made of Inconel 718c, provides excellent thermal fatigue and corrosion resistance, coated with AlTiN for wear and oxidation resistance. However, the tribological performance of this joint and material combination remains unknown, necessitating further research.  This work aims to understand wear initiation mechanisms and their relationship with temperature. Test setups were established using an oscillating cylinder on disc configuration in the SRV 3 tribometer. SiMo51 uncoated/coated with Tribaloy 400 and Inconel 718c uncoated/coated with AlTiN were tested against each other to identify the best material pair. Analysis involved coefficient of friction, visual inspection, wear volume measurements, SEM micrographs, and EDS for surface chemical composition. Results indicated that friction behaviour is temperature-dependent, with oxide layer formation reducing the coefficient of friction when the manifold is uncoated, while the opposite occurs when coated with Tribaloy 400. Wear behaviour varied based on material combinations and temperature. Uncoated manifold exhibited dominant adhesion (galling) accompanied by tribo-oxidation at higher temperatures, with maximum wear volumes at room temperature. Introduction of T-400 on the manifold initiated galling on the lip seal, leading to abrasion on the manifold surface, accompanied by tribo-oxidation at elevated temperatures. Wear increased until 500°C, followed by a decrease at 700°C. Further explanations of T-400 wear behaviour are lacking in the literature.

Dichtungen spielen für die Funktion von Maschinen eine zentrale Rolle. Sie verhindern den Austritt von Schmierstoff aus dem Innenraum in die Umgebung und das Eindringen von Schmutz von Außen. Neben einer möglichst guten Abdichtung ist jedoch auch die durch die Dichtung auftretende Reibung von immer größerer Bedeutung für die Funktionalität von Maschinen und Anlagen. Aus diesem Grund wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit untersucht, welche wesentlichen Einflussfaktoren das Reibmoment, bzw. den Reibwert von Radialwellendichtungen, beeinflussen. Experimentelle Untersuchungen erfolgen dafür an einem speziell entwickelten Versuchstand. Dabei wird ersichtlich, dass die Umfangsgeschwindigkeit, die Schmierstoffviskosität und die Temperatur im Dichtkontakt die wesentlichsten Einflussfaktoren bei einer festen Kombination aus Dichtung und Gegenlaufläche darstellen. Im Vergleich zwischen verschiedenen Dichtungen spielt zudem die Radialkraft der Dichtung eine entscheidende Rolle. Des weiteren wird ein komplexes Modell entwickelt, welches die Effekte im tribologischen Kontakt beschreibt und so das Reibmoment der Dichtung berechenbar macht. Berücksichtigt werden dabei sowohl die durch Oberflächenstrukturen beeinflusste Fluidreibung im Schmierspalt, als auch die Hysteresereibung im Dichtungsmaterial und die Temperatur im Dichtkontakt. Durch die Kopplung der Einzelmodelle wird zudem die gegenseitige Beeinflussung berücksichtigt. Die Simulationsergebnisse ermöglichen einen tiefen Einblick in das Zusammenwirken der Phänomene im Dichtkontakt. Das Modell erlaubt die Berechnung des Reibwertes der Dichtung anhand der Betriebsbedingungen. Der Vergleich zwischen numerischen und experimentellen Ergebnissen zeigt eine sehr gute Übereinstimmung. Ein weiteres, vereinfachtes Modell auf Basis der Gümbelzahl ermöglicht die direkte und extrem schnelle Berechnung des Reibwertes der Dichtung. Das reduzierte Modell kann hierbei sowohl von experimentellen als auch numerischen Ergebnissen parametriert werden.:1 Einleitung und Ziel der Arbeit 1 2 Stand des Wissens 3 2.1 Dynamische Dichtungen 3 2.2 Tribologie des Dichtkontaktes 4 2.2.1 Mechanismen im tribologischen Kontakt 5 2.2.2 Einflüsse auf die Dichtwirkung 6 2.2.3 Schmierfilmhypothesen 7 2.2.4 Stribeck-Kurve und Gümbelzahl 8 2.3 Materialeigenschaften von Elastomeren 9 2.4 Schmierstoffeigenschaften 11 2.5 Modelle zur Beschreibung von Dichtungsreibung 13 2.5.1 Modellierung der Hysteresereibung 14 2.5.2 Modellierung der Fluidreibung 16 2.5.3 Modellierung des Dichtungskontaktes 19 2.5.4 Modellierung der Temperatur im Dichtkontakt 20 3 Experimentelle Untersuchungen 21 3.1 Radialkraft 21 3.2 Kontaktbreite 23 3.3 Reibwertkennlinien 24 3.3.1 Radial-Dichtungsprüfstand 24 3.3.2 Ermittlung von Reibwertkennlinien unter stationären Randbedingungen 25 3.3.3 Ermittlung von Reibwertkennlinien unter instationären Randbedingungen 31 3.4 Elastomereigenschaften 34 3.4.1 Zugversuch 34 3.4.2 Dynamisch-Mechanisch-Thermische Analyse 34 4 Simulationen 37 4.1 FE-Modelle und Parametrierung 37 4.2 Modell zur Simulation des Dichtungsreibmomentes 39 4.2.1 Modellierung der Fluidreibung 40 4.2.2 Modellierung der Hysteresereibung 51 4.2.3 Approximation der Temperatur im Dichtkontakt 60 4.2.4 Kopplung/Abhängigkeiten 60 4.2.5 Berechnung der wahren Kontaktfläche 62 4.2.6 Ankopplung der Hysteresereibung 64 4.3 Ergebnisse zur Simulation des Dichtungsreibwertes 64 4.3.1 Fluidreibung 64 4.3.2 Hysteresereibung 69 4.3.3 Fluid- und Hysteresereibung 74 4.3.4 Einfluss der Umgebungstemperatur 77 4.3.5 Instationäre Randbedingungen 79 5 Zusammenfassung 83 A Einfluss der Maxwell-Äste auf das Ergebniss der Hysteresereibung 87 B Koeffizienten für die Flussfaktorenberechnung 89 Literaturverzeichnis 91 / Seals are very important for the proper function of machines. They prevent lubricant from escaping from the interior into the environment and the ingress of dust from outside. Yet not only the sealing properties are relevant, also the friction is getting more and more in focus. Therefore, in this thesis, the relevant influences on the friction moment, and on the friction coefficient are investigated. A special test rig has been developed for the experimental investigations. It has been found that the circumferential velocity and the lubricants viscosity in conjunction with the temperature at the seals contact are the main influence factors of a defined combination of seal and surface. For the comparison of different seals, the radial contact force has an important influence, too. Beside these experimental investigations a complex simulation model has been developed. It describes the effects inside the tribological contact and allows the calculation of the seals friction moment. The model uses calculation routines for the fluid friction due to the fluid film inside the seals contact with respect to the surface structures, as well as the hysteresis friction inside the seals lip. Furthermore, the seals contact temperature is calculated. All these models relate and respect the influence between each other. The simulation results allow a deep view on the phenomena inside the seals contact and their interaction with each other. The model allows the calculation of the friction coeficient. A good agreement between experimental and numeric results could be achieved. An additional, reduced model on basis of the Gümbel number allows a direct and extreme fast calculation of the friction coeficient. The reduced model could be parameterized both on experimental and simulation results.:1 Einleitung und Ziel der Arbeit 1 2 Stand des Wissens 3 2.1 Dynamische Dichtungen 3 2.2 Tribologie des Dichtkontaktes 4 2.2.1 Mechanismen im tribologischen Kontakt 5 2.2.2 Einflüsse auf die Dichtwirkung 6 2.2.3 Schmierfilmhypothesen 7 2.2.4 Stribeck-Kurve und Gümbelzahl 8 2.3 Materialeigenschaften von Elastomeren 9 2.4 Schmierstoffeigenschaften 11 2.5 Modelle zur Beschreibung von Dichtungsreibung 13 2.5.1 Modellierung der Hysteresereibung 14 2.5.2 Modellierung der Fluidreibung 16 2.5.3 Modellierung des Dichtungskontaktes 19 2.5.4 Modellierung der Temperatur im Dichtkontakt 20 3 Experimentelle Untersuchungen 21 3.1 Radialkraft 21 3.2 Kontaktbreite 23 3.3 Reibwertkennlinien 24 3.3.1 Radial-Dichtungsprüfstand 24 3.3.2 Ermittlung von Reibwertkennlinien unter stationären Randbedingungen 25 3.3.3 Ermittlung von Reibwertkennlinien unter instationären Randbedingungen 31 3.4 Elastomereigenschaften 34 3.4.1 Zugversuch 34 3.4.2 Dynamisch-Mechanisch-Thermische Analyse 34 4 Simulationen 37 4.1 FE-Modelle und Parametrierung 37 4.2 Modell zur Simulation des Dichtungsreibmomentes 39 4.2.1 Modellierung der Fluidreibung 40 4.2.2 Modellierung der Hysteresereibung 51 4.2.3 Approximation der Temperatur im Dichtkontakt 60 4.2.4 Kopplung/Abhängigkeiten 60 4.2.5 Berechnung der wahren Kontaktfläche 62 4.2.6 Ankopplung der Hysteresereibung 64 4.3 Ergebnisse zur Simulation des Dichtungsreibwertes 64 4.3.1 Fluidreibung 64 4.3.2 Hysteresereibung 69 4.3.3 Fluid- und Hysteresereibung 74 4.3.4 Einfluss der Umgebungstemperatur 77 4.3.5 Instationäre Randbedingungen 79 5 Zusammenfassung 83 A Einfluss der Maxwell-Äste auf das Ergebniss der Hysteresereibung 87 B Koeffizienten für die Flussfaktorenberechnung 89 Literaturverzeichnis 91