Oil seal, also known as shaft seals, are radial lip seals primarily used to retain lubricant in equipment with rotating, reciprocating or oscillating shafts. Rotary axis applications are more common. Oil seal usually consist of three basic components: sealing element, metal shell and spring.
Oil seals are designed to prevent dirt, dust, water or any other foreign matter from contaminating Drive Shaft and Transmission Bearing in rotating shaft equipment. They also prevent lubricants such as grease and oil from leaking along rotating shafts. The more common types of oil seals are rubber shells and metal shells. Metal shell oil seals are usually installed in a shell hole made of the same material. This allows the material to expand and contract equally during operation, preventing leaks. Rubber housing oil seals are used in situations where metal housing seals may fail (e.g. due to thermal expansion). Unlike metal housing types, these seals will not rust.
Dust and debris are…