• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.53-59
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• 2022

Static seals are used to seal high temperature gas and cryogenic fluid under high pressure, at interfaces between liquid rocket engine components such as combustion chamber, turbopump, gas generator, valves, etc. As thermal expansion and contraction at assembly interfaces cause undesirable leakage under cryogenic and high temperature environments, static seals applied for sealing of joint interfaces without relative motion should be designed properly. The additional function of rotation at the sealing face is also required for static seals, when the spherical flange is used for improvement of assembly at misalignment interfaces. In this study, structural analysis and leak tightness test of simulating test rig for several important interfaces are performed, to verify structural integrity of static seals.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2000.06a
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• pp.194-200
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• 2000

The sealing performance of an elastomeric O-ring seal using NBR and FFKM has been analyzed for the contact stress behaviors that develop between the O-ring seal and the surfaces with which it comes into contact. The leakage of an O-ring seal will occur when the pressure differential across the seal just exceeds the initial (or static) peak contact stress. The contact stress behaviors that develop in compressed O-rings, in common case of restrained geometry(grooved), are investigated using the finite element method. The analysis includes material hyperelasticity and axisymmetry. The computed FEM results show that the contact stress behaviors are related to materials of NBR and FFKM and temperature of vaccum chamber.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.13-18
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• 2018

A face seal comprising a metal ring and acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) was installed in the driving part and suspension unit. The seal serves as a bearing and simultaneously prevents entry of foreign matter from external environment as well as internal oil leakage. Subsequently, the rubber-rod ring generates axial pressure owing to rubber elasticity (hardness), performs static sealing function between housing details and outer diameter of seal, and transmits rotational torque to the rotating support ring. In order to improve the durability of NBR, which performs the above tasks, and to effectively use it in tracked-vehicle applications at extreme temperatures, this study reports a mixing design approach to enhance cold and oil resistances of NBR.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 1999.11a
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• pp.283-288
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• 1999

The sealing performance of an elastomeric O-ring seat with a temperature gradient has been analyzed for the contact stress behaviors that develop between the O-ring seal and the surfaces with which it comes into contact. The leakage of an O-ring seal will occur when the pressure differential across the seal just exceeds the initial (or static) peak contact stress. The contact stress behaviors that develop in compressed O-rings, in common case of restrained geometry (grooved), are investigated using the finite element method. The analysis includes material hyperelasticity and axisymmetry. The computed FEM results show that the contact stress behaviors are related to a compression rate and a temperature gradient between the vacuum chamber with a groove and the contacting plate with a cooling jacket.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.392-400
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• 2001

The sealing performance of an elastomeric O-ring seal using bi-materials has been analyzed for the contact stress behaviors that develop between the O-ring seal and the surfaces with which it comes into contact. The leakage of an O-ring seal will occur when the pressure differential across the seal just exceeds the initial (or static) peak contact stress. The contact stress behaviors that develop in compressed O-rings, in common case of restrained geometry(grooved), are investigated using the finite element method. The analysis includes material hyperelasticity and axisymmetry. The computed FEM results show that the contact stress behaviors are related to a ratio of length between NBR and FFKM and temperature of vaccum chamber.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.75-81
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• 2020

In this paper, we present an experimental investigation of the leakage and endurance performances of mechanical face seals in a 75-tonf turbopump for the Korea Space Launch Vehicle II first-stage engine. A mechanical face seal is used between the fuel pump and turbine to prevent mixing of the fuel and turbine gas. However, excessive leakage occurs through the carbon attached to the mechanical face seal bellows. To reduce this leakage, we redesign the mechanical face seal such that the contact area between the fuel and carbon is reduced, height of the carbon nose is reduced, and stiffness of the bellows is increased. Then, we conduct static and dynamic leakage tests and endurance tests to compare the performances of the original and modified mechanical face seals. The investigation of the leakage of the old and new mechanical face seals confirms that the leakage performance is significantly improved, by 80%, in the new design in comparison with the old design. The endurance tests demonstrate that the average wear rate of carbon in the new mechanical face seal is 0.1094 ㎛/s. The service lifetime is predicted to be 4,200 s, which is 28 times greater than the requirement. Finally, we present a new mechanical face seal in a 75-tonf turbopump, and perform a validation test in the real-propellant test facility at the NARO Space Center. Based on the test results, we can confirm that the modified mechanical face seal works well under real operating conditions.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.70-80
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• 2012

Non-contact type mechanical face seals installed in mechanical systems prevent leakage of working fluid using thin working fluid film between stator and rotor. For that purpose, various kinds of surface profiles, grooves and conings have been applied on seal surfaces of stator and rotor to generate hydrodynamic and hydrostatic pressure. The thickness distribution of working fluid film is one of important factors which affect the working performances of mechanical face seal, and it is strongly affected by the surface height profiles of stator and rotor. Therefore, appropriate design of surface height profiles of stator and rotor is necessary to optimize the working performances and life of mechanical face seal. In this study, numerical analysis using finite volume method was conducted to estimate the working performances of wavy mechanical face seals which have 36 coning combinations. As results, minimum thickness of working fluid film, leakage volume of working fluid and friction torque in static equilibrium condition of mechanical face seal, and stiffness of working fluid film were obtained. The results show that the working performances of mechanical face seal were affected by the coning combinations which can change the thickness distribution of working fluid film and pressure distribution in sealing region of mechanical face seal.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.183-190
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• 2018

Tilting pad journal bearing is widely used for steam turbines because of its excellent dynamic stability. As the turbine capacity increases, power loss in the bearings becomes a matter of concern. Power loss in tilting pad journal bearings can be reduced by increasing the bearing clearance and reducing the pad arc length. In this study, the tilting pad journal bearing is tested by changing the seal tooth clearance to verify the static characteristics of the bearing. Bearing power loss and bearing metal temperature are evaluated to compare the bearing's performance and reliability for several test cases. The test bearing is a tilting pad journal bearing with 300.62mm inner diameter and 120.00mm active length. The bearing power loss, its metal temperature, and oil film thickness are measured and evaluated based on the rotor's rotational speed, oil flow rate, and bearing load. Test results show that a tilting pad journal bearing with large seal tooth clearance has 40% lower power loss compared with a bearing with a small seal tooth clearance. As the seal tooth clearance is increased, the power loss of the tilting pad journal bearing decreases. However, with respect to the bearing metal temperatures, a detuning point is observed that makes the minimum bearing metal temperature. Moreover, as the seal tooth clearance is increased, the oil film thickness increases due to high viscosity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.13-20
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• 2007

Elastomeric O-ring seals are widely used in static and dynamic applications. A compressed and highly pressurized O-ring seal inserted under laterally one-sided constrained condition has been analyzed experimentally and numerically. The deformed shape and extrusion length of the O-ring under high pressure has been measured by the computed tomography. Through the comparison of experimental and FE results, the numerical analysis technique has been verified. Using verified FE method, the contact stress profiles at sealing surfaces have been investigated and their relevance to the 0-ring performance evaluated based on stress-related and displacement-related parameters. It has been found that the contact stress profiles and deformation behaviors of the seal are affected by friction coefficient, gap clearance, and pressure considerably.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2003

The sealing performance of an elastomeric O-ring using the double layered material has been analyzed fer the contact stress behaviors that develop between the O-ring seal and the surfaces with which it comes into contact. The leakage of an O-ring will occur when the pressure differential across the seal Just exceeds the initial (or static) peak contact stress. The contact stress behaviors that develop in compressed O-rings, in common case of dovetail grooved geometry, are investigated using the finite element method. The FE analysis includes material hyperelasticity and axisymmetry. The computed FEM results show that the contact stress behaviors are related to the ratio of diameter between the inner ring and the outer ring, and the temperature of vacuum chamber.