Thermoplastic Labyrinth Seals Under Rub Impact: Deformation Leakage Mechanisms and High Efficiency Optimization
Labyrinth seals, extensively used in aerospace and turbomachinery as non-contact sealing devices, undergo accelerated wear and enhanced leakage due to repeated rub-impact between rotating shafts and sealing rings. To address the problem of increased leakage under rub-impact conditions, this research...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| author | Fei Ma Zhengze Yang Yue Liu Shuangfu Suo Peng Su |
| author_facet | Fei Ma Zhengze Yang Yue Liu Shuangfu Suo Peng Su |
| author_sort | Fei Ma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Labyrinth seals, extensively used in aerospace and turbomachinery as non-contact sealing devices, undergo accelerated wear and enhanced leakage due to repeated rub-impact between rotating shafts and sealing rings. To address the problem of increased leakage under rub-impact conditions, this research integrates experimental and numerical methods to investigate the deformation mechanisms and leakage characteristics of thermoplastic labyrinth seals. A custom designed rub-impact test rig was constructed to measure dynamic forces and validate finite element analysis (FEA) models with an error of 5.1% in predicting tooth height under mild interference (0.25 mm). Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations further demonstrated that thermoplastic materials, such as PAI and PEEK, displayed superior resilience (with rebound ratios of 57% and 70.3%, respectively). Their post-impact clearances were 4.8–18.3% smaller than those of PTFE and F500. Leakage rates were predominantly correlated with interference, causing a substantial increase compared to the original state; at 0.25 mm interference (reverse flow), increases ranged from 151% (PAI) to 217% (PTFE), highlighting material-dependent performance degradation. Meanwhile, tooth orientation modulated leakage by 0.5–3% through the vena contracta effect. Based on these insights, two optimized inclined-tooth geometries were designed, reducing leakage by 28.2% (Opt1) and 28.1% (Opt2) under rub-impact. These findings contribute to the development of high-performance labyrinth seals suitable for extreme operational environments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7b6bcc4f092142498bbdfc3c6bfd85f2 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2075-4442 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Lubricants |
| spelling | doaj-art-7b6bcc4f092142498bbdfc3c6bfd85f22025-06-25T14:06:40ZengMDPI AGLubricants2075-44422025-06-0113625010.3390/lubricants13060250Thermoplastic Labyrinth Seals Under Rub Impact: Deformation Leakage Mechanisms and High Efficiency OptimizationFei Ma0Zhengze Yang1Yue Liu2Shuangfu Suo3Peng Su4Mechanical Electrical Engineering School, Beijing Information Science & Technology University, Beijing 100192, ChinaMechanical Electrical Engineering School, Beijing Information Science & Technology University, Beijing 100192, ChinaMechanical Electrical Engineering School, Beijing Information Science & Technology University, Beijing 100192, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Tribology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaMechanical Electrical Engineering School, Beijing Information Science & Technology University, Beijing 100192, ChinaLabyrinth seals, extensively used in aerospace and turbomachinery as non-contact sealing devices, undergo accelerated wear and enhanced leakage due to repeated rub-impact between rotating shafts and sealing rings. To address the problem of increased leakage under rub-impact conditions, this research integrates experimental and numerical methods to investigate the deformation mechanisms and leakage characteristics of thermoplastic labyrinth seals. A custom designed rub-impact test rig was constructed to measure dynamic forces and validate finite element analysis (FEA) models with an error of 5.1% in predicting tooth height under mild interference (0.25 mm). Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations further demonstrated that thermoplastic materials, such as PAI and PEEK, displayed superior resilience (with rebound ratios of 57% and 70.3%, respectively). Their post-impact clearances were 4.8–18.3% smaller than those of PTFE and F500. Leakage rates were predominantly correlated with interference, causing a substantial increase compared to the original state; at 0.25 mm interference (reverse flow), increases ranged from 151% (PAI) to 217% (PTFE), highlighting material-dependent performance degradation. Meanwhile, tooth orientation modulated leakage by 0.5–3% through the vena contracta effect. Based on these insights, two optimized inclined-tooth geometries were designed, reducing leakage by 28.2% (Opt1) and 28.1% (Opt2) under rub-impact. These findings contribute to the development of high-performance labyrinth seals suitable for extreme operational environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4442/13/6/250labyrinth sealrub-impacttooth deformationthermoplastic materialgeometric optimization |
| spellingShingle | Fei Ma Zhengze Yang Yue Liu Shuangfu Suo Peng Su Thermoplastic Labyrinth Seals Under Rub Impact: Deformation Leakage Mechanisms and High Efficiency Optimization Lubricants labyrinth seal rub-impact tooth deformation thermoplastic material geometric optimization |
| title | Thermoplastic Labyrinth Seals Under Rub Impact: Deformation Leakage Mechanisms and High Efficiency Optimization |
| title_full | Thermoplastic Labyrinth Seals Under Rub Impact: Deformation Leakage Mechanisms and High Efficiency Optimization |
| title_fullStr | Thermoplastic Labyrinth Seals Under Rub Impact: Deformation Leakage Mechanisms and High Efficiency Optimization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thermoplastic Labyrinth Seals Under Rub Impact: Deformation Leakage Mechanisms and High Efficiency Optimization |
| title_short | Thermoplastic Labyrinth Seals Under Rub Impact: Deformation Leakage Mechanisms and High Efficiency Optimization |
| title_sort | thermoplastic labyrinth seals under rub impact deformation leakage mechanisms and high efficiency optimization |
| topic | labyrinth seal rub-impact tooth deformation thermoplastic material geometric optimization |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4442/13/6/250 |
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