Undesired acoustic emissions of mechanical face seals: Model and simulations

摘要

Mechanical face seals are used with most types of mechanical equipment, thus understanding the behavior of sealing systems is required for improved performance. The present paper investigates a type of seal utilized in automotive cooling water pumps, which, under particular service conditions, generates undesired acoustic emissions and manifests malfunctioning. The problem is examined through a lumped parameter model together with a mixed friction tribological model. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the phenomenon is caused by the insurgence of stick-slip vibrations during shaft deceleration. In addition, the stability threshold is investigated and the influences of some design parameters are evaluated.