The effect of aging in oil on the performance of a radial lip seal

• A method is developed to study how aging in oil affects the lip seal performance.
• There is good agreement between simulation and experimental results.
• This method lays a solid foundation for the prediction of lip seal life.
• This method can be also used for other forms of seal.

The effect of aging in oil on the seal performance of a radial lip seal is investigated in the present study by conducting a constant temperature oil bath test to obtain aged rubber samples and seals, and measuring the changes of material properties and seal performance with the aging time. The change of lip surface micro-morphology with the aging time is also measured by using a 3D white light optical interferometer. The leakage and friction torque are computed in a numerical simulation, utilizing a mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) model, to determine how aging in oil affects the lip seal performance. Finally, the simulation results of the EHL model are verified by a bench test on aged lip seals.