Numerical analysis of a surface-textured mechanical seal operating in mixed lubrication regime

This paper presents a numerical study of the behavior of a mechanical seal with textured surfaces. It is used to analyze the mechanisms underlying the enhancement of the hydrodynamic lift associated with surface texture in mechanical seals. The model solves the Reynolds equation coupled with a mass-conservative cavitation algorithm and takes into account asperity contact. It is shown that, unlike rough-textured surfaces, smooth-textured surfaces are unable to generate a load. The performance of two rough surfaces are compared with those of the same surfaces equipped with dimples. The effect of texture density and aspect ratio are studied as well. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.