Effects of surface topography on hydrodynamic performance of liquid film seals considering cavitation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of surface topography, including surface roughness, circumferential waviness and radial taper, on hydrodynamic performance of liquid film seals considering cavitation. Design/methodology/approach A mathematical model of liquid film seals with surface topography was established based on the mass-conservative algorithm. Liquid film governing equation was discretized by the finite control volume method and solved by the Gauss-Seidel relaxation iterative algorithm, and the hydrodynamic performance parameters of liquid film seals were obtained considering surface roughness, circumferential waviness and radial taper separately. Findings The results indicate that the values of load-carrying capacity and frication torque are affected by the surface topography in varying degrees, but the effect is limited. Originality/value The results presented in the study are expected to aid in determining the optimum value of structural parameters for the optimum seal performance because of the realistic model which considers both surface topography and cavitation.