The rotary lip seal is one of the most widely used industrial tribological components, and one of the least understood. The sealing mechanism, which prevents leakage through the seal, and the load support mechanism, which preserves the integrity of the lubricating film, have been poorly understood for many years. To elucidate the physical processes occurring in such seals, a number of numerical models of increasing complexity have been constructed. The sealing surface of the lip was initially modeled as a simple periodic surface, then as a more complex periodic surface, and finally as a quasi-random surface. The analysis initially considered hydrodynamic lubrication, then elastohydrodynamic lubrication, and finally mixed microelastohydrodynamic lubrication. Each succeeding model revealed additional features of the sealing and load support mechanisms.
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