It is well known that hydraulic seals usually need to be replaced after a period of use. This cycle may be three to six years or even longer depending on the operating conditions. What we are talking about today is why the seal fails prematurely.
- One of the easier situations to address, improper installation of hydraulic seals can nevertheless pose serious problems. An improperly installed hydraulic seal can fail in a number of ways, due to cleanliness, unsafe handling, contamination, or even being incorrectly chosen for the application. Hydraulic seals are rarely designed for specific applications; rather, they come in standard sizes and material makeup, and applications are designed to comply with them. Discussing with us the best type of seal to use for an application can prevent early mistakes.
Additionally, proper installation requires knowledge about the seal and the equipment. A common problem can be installing a seal upside-down, which can result in liquid leaks. Also, if seals aren’t handled correctly, they can tear or nick, which will lead to failure after a period use.
- Investigations have shown that cheap seals have become one of the main reasons for premature leakage of seals,Most of these products are made in China and India. However, as a high-quality seal manufacturer in China, ILOKEEN is fundamentally different from other seal manufacturers in China. ILOKEEN’s technical investment and quality control from the development of raw materials to molds are beyond the reach of other companies.
- Hydraulic system contamination is a another major factor in hydraulic seal failure. It is usually caused by external elements such as dirt, grit, mud, dust, ice and internal contamination from circulating metal chips, break-down products of the oil, hoses or other degradable system components. As most external contamination enters the system during rod retraction, the proper installation of a rod wiper/scraper is the best solution.
- Heat degradation is to be suspected when the failed seal exhibits a hard, brittle appearance and/or shows a breaking away of parts of the seal lip or body. Heat degradation results in loss of sealing lip effectiveness through excessive compression set and/or loss of seal material. Causes of this condition may be use of incorrect seal material, high dynamic friction, excessive lip loading, no heel clearance and proximity to outside heat source.
Correction of heat degradation problems may involve reducing seal lip interference, increasing lubrication or a change of the seal material. In borderline situations consider all upper temperature limits to be increased by 50 degrees F in hydraulic cylinder seals at the seal interface due to running friction caused by the sliding action of the lips.
Here’s a secret – it is not necessary to buy replacement seals from the hydraulic cylinder manufacturer. Many hydraulic seal suppliers have the same exact seals that are used in most hydraulic cylinders and can easily cross reference or match up a replacement. In many cases, if there is a recurring problem with a seal, your seal specialist can recommend a solution and increase the life of the seal
- Extrusion of seals under high pressure.
Due to the existence of the groove gap A, a part of the seal B is squeezed into the groove under high pressure, and the piston or the piston rod wears the part B, which will cause the seal to fail.
The solution is to install the backup ring. ILOKEEN’s backup ring is made of high-performance engineering plastics, which can effectively prevent extrusion.
