Sealing technology has continued to advance in recent years, changing from off-the-shelf consumable commodities to highly engineered products. As asset uptime and environmental requirements become more and more demanding, the need for high performance sealing materials increases. To support these evermore-demanding requirements, the formulation of seal materials becomes increasingly important.

This article examines the root causes of bearing failure, identifying seal failure as the primary cause. The principles of sealing technology are discussed as well as common sealing methods.

The wind power industry desires components that will last 20 years. Contact type rubber lip seals cannot offer this life. Non-contacting isolator seals made of PTFE or metal can offer this possibility since there are no contacting parts.

In an industrial application, equipment uptime is vital for on-time performance and profitability. The rotating members of industrial machines are subject to the highest degree of wear and are more susceptible to failure than non-moving parts. Bearing surfaces are the most critical and often the most expensive portion of the rotary assembly...

Machinery and Equipment MRO Magazine talks about Hybrid bearing isolators, a.ka. labyrinth seals meeting tough demands for sealing, written by Earl Rogalski of Garlock Sealing Technologies.