Friction, Wear, Contamination and Leakage in Reciprocating Seals

Endurance testing of reciprocating seals within a wide range of operating conditions.  The rig can be used to investigate the effects of bearing design, surface finishes, side-load, hydraulic fluid contamination and environmental extremes on the performance of reciprocating seals.

The working fluid is typically oil, but the rig may be adapted for use with water and gases.  Heating and cooling systems allow a wide temperature envelope, and PC based control gives flexible driving options ranging from simple variable speed/pressure cycling to full closed-loop speed/pressure waveform control.  Automatic monitoring and data acquisition provides 24-hour testing capability.  This facility enables us to provide test work and consultancy on a comprehensive range of seal applications.

Fluids: Oil, water, gases
Temperature: -50 to 110 oC
Pressure: Up to 400 bar
Speed: 0 to 0.5 m/s
Shaft sizes: 25 to 100 mm
Piston sizes: Up to 160 mm
Measurements: Temperature, pressure, friction, leakage, fluid contamination level