境界潤滑機構にて作動する防水用回転軸シールの開発

抄録

Shaft seals are widely used in many mechanical parts. However, their operating conditions are limited. Especially, there are few shaft seals which can operate with changing the rotational direction of rotating shaft or with in a range of low to high shaft speed or under a high-pressurized water environment. Furthermore, a design of the shaft seal, which is different from a conventional mechanism are needed for realizing the shaft seal which shows a low frictional torque and amount of leakage. The seal ring which operated in boundary lubrication was proposed to enable it to be used under those severe conditions. The seal ring was made of a hydrophilic and high molecular material; polyvinyl formal (PVF). This seal ring had a low elastic modulus, so that it was clarified to deform easily under the high-pressurized water environment. In this report, a new type of shaft seal was development by changing an approach in use of the seal ring in order to avoid such as the deformation. The seal ring of the new shaft seal was pressed to the ceramics ring fixed with a mechanical body, and the shaft seal prevented water leakage between them. The experimental results indicated that the properties of ceramics ring had an influence on the durability of the seal ring.