Tribological Characteristics of a Dynamic O-Ring in Abrasive Environment

A rotary seal tester simulating the abrasive down-hole environment was used to investigate the sealing, friction, and wear performance of the selected, “rubber” seal material molded into an o-ring configuration. Dynamic frictional torque and surface temperature within the sealing region were measured throughout the test duration. Test results indicate that the seal surface temperature is very sensitive to the variation of frictional torque. The average surface temperature is almost linearly proportional to the average frictional torque. Wear phenomena on the post-test sample surfaces were recorded by a surface profilometer. Observations showed that abrasive wear constantly produces a deep wear scar at the front, sealing edge of the journal surface. Furthermore, the reduction in seal cross-sectional diameter was found to be inversely proportional to the depth of the wear scar.