Design & Development of Test Rig for Investigation of Contact Mechanics Phenomena in Reciprocating Hydraulic Seals

Investigation of seal performance is of utmost importance for the development of hydraulic seals especially those employed in high pressure applications and subjected to shock loading. Over the years many apparatus and methods have been adopted to experimentally investigate the seal performance in terms of leakage, friction and wear with one or other limitations. This article describes the design and development of a test rig, which can experimentally assess the performance of reciprocating hydraulic seals. This test rig has features to study experimentally the contact mechanics phenomena at sealing interface and verify theoretical results thus can support development of a sealing system for shock loading applications which involves high pressures of the order of 1000 bar. The test rig is in line with ISO standard but equipped with added features to cater to high pressure & shock test and test of rotary seals.