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Oil Seals

Oil seals block the clearance between a rotating shaft and housing, preventing leakage of internal lubricating oil or grease and ingress of external dust and water. A rubber lip presses against the shaft surface, and a garter spring supplements the tightening force to seal. Some types feature hydrodynamic ribs near the lip that use a pumping action to return oil. Variants include the outer rubber-covered type with rubber outer periphery, the exposed metal outer-case type with metal ring exposed, types with auxiliary dust lip, split types for repair of large machinery, and PTFE lip types. They are used to protect bearings in gear reducers, engines, rolling mills, railway vehicles, and food machinery.

How to choose Oil Seals

  1. 1. Match shaft diameter and housing bore

    Select shaft diameter d and outer diameter D by nominal dimensions to suit the mating shaft and housing bore. Listed shaft diameters range widely from 6 to 3530 mm. Some standard types are designed assuming shaft tolerance h8 and housing bore tolerance H7/H8. Deviation from fit tolerances can cause leakage or seal dislodgement.

  2. 2. Check width fits the installation space

    Confirm that width b fits within the axial installation space. Listed products are 5 to 30 mm. For large types, cross-section width, groove width, and presence of spacers are also part of the dimensional requirements, so verify against the housing groove dimensions.

  3. 3. Select lip material suited to fluid and temperature

    Lip material governs oil resistance and heat resistance. Nitrile rubber is a general-purpose material for mineral oils, acrylic and fluororubber suit the high-temperature range, and silicone readily covers low to high temperatures. PTFE lips are suitable for chemicals and high temperatures, and food-hygiene-compliant materials are available for food machinery.

  4. 4. Allow margin in operating temperature range

    Confirm that the continuous operating temperature range includes the running oil temperature. Temporary temperature rises, such as at startup, are judged by the short-term maximum temperature (120 °C in one listed example). However, if the normal operating temperature is close to the upper limit, rubber hardening and lip wear will accelerate.

  5. 5. Verify shaft surface speed is within limit

    Surface speed is the lip sliding speed calculated from shaft diameter and rotational speed. The listed maximum surface speeds are 5 to 20 m/s, and exceeding them causes lip deterioration from frictional heat. Even at the same rotational speed, surface speed increases with larger shaft diameter, so check this particularly for large-diameter shafts.

  6. 6. Confirm maximum sealing pressure limit

    Standard oil seals are intended for low-pressure use. Listed maximum operating pressures vary greatly by type, from 0.03 to 15 MPa, so select a pressure-resistant type for applications with internal pressure. Under pressure the lip is pressed strongly against the shaft, making heat generation more likely.

This guide was written by AI based on the listed products' documents and specification items. Check each manufacturer's documents before adopting.