Evaluation of Wear Materials for Seal Applications

The evaluation of wear materials for an industrial component depends on how well the selected test method or methods can represent the component so that direct and meaningful comparisons can be made by the design engineer. The selection, evolution, and design of wear tests for several types of seals are described. Although component and rig tests are discussed, bench wear test methods are emphasized. The importance of establishing a correlation between the bench test and seal performance in terms of wear, friction, and limiting pressure velocity (PV) is illustrated. Good correlation can be obtained at various levels of simulation for different types of seals. The approach used can be generalized to other wear components.