Abstract
Modern lubricants (e.g. polyglycols, esters) cause problems when sealed with radial lip seals.
The wear of radial lip seals strongly depends on the wetting properties of the respective friction
partners. The paper shows, how these wetting characteristics correlate to the wear measured on
both, the radial lip seal and the shaft countersurface. Investigations were carried out using
polished 100Cr6 steel counter faces and FKM radial lip seals, together with ten chemically
different lubricants (two mineral oils, four polyglycols, two poly-α-olefins, one ester and one
silicone oil). The results show why some radial lip sealing systems are able to maintain their
function over the expected service life and others fail prematurely.
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