A mixed thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication model of rotary lip seal

Rotary lip seal is used in various applications where the rotation shaft needs to be sealed, such as hydraulic pumps, fuel pumps, camshafts, crankshafts, and so on. Many thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication models of rotary lip seal have been introduced, and most of these models neglect the asperity contact. This article proposes a mixed thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication model of rotary lip seal, in which the microstructure of sealing lip surface, influence of temperature on fluid viscosity, and deformation of lip surface, as well as the asperity contact, are taken into consideration. Simulation study is carried out, and the results show that the asperity contact should not be neglected for analyzing the sealing performance of the rotary lip seal. The influence of speed on the sealing performance is also analyzed based on the proposed model.