A Numerical Study of the Stable Dynamic Behavior of Radial Face Seals With Grooved Faces

Abstract

This paper presents a simple numerical method for modeling the dynamic tracking modes of a grooved face seal. The stability is verified using a method derived from that developed for smooth face seals. The method, enabling the calculation of the kinematic parameters which describe the steady-state response of the grooved seal, is of interest in designing this type of seal. A parametric study is presented for the case of a rotor face with eight semicircular grooves. The principal effect of the grooves is to increase the hydrostatic component of the load. In turn, this makes the seal less sensitive to fluctuations of the hydrodynamic phenomena. Sinusoidal waviness is used to simulate the periodic distortions induced by the grooves and affects the dynamic behavior only in the presence of cavitation. This occurs for very small values of the film thickness and, consequently, for very small leakage flow. In this case, the dynamic response of the seal is then strongly dependent upon the hydrodynamic effects.