Safety First With Industrial Equipment and Supplies

Safety First With Industrial Equipment and Supplies

Six Types Of Seal Failures To Avoid At Your Industrial Operation

Lucille Palmer

Hydraulic seals are an important part of an industrial operation and need to be properly maintained and offer a high-quality design to maximize the productivity of a facility.

There are various causes of hydraulic seal failure that you need to be aware of and prevent to maintain your equipment. The following are six types of seal failure to prevent your industrial operation:

Scars in the seal's lip

The dynamic lip of a hydraulic seal can become marred by dents and cuts during installation if the installation is not performed properly.

This scarring in the lip can detract from efficiency if it is minor and lead to seal failure over time if foreign elements are allowed to get into the hydraulic fluid. 

Hardened seal components

If hydraulic equipment is operated at temperatures that become too high, seal components can become hardened and lead to seal malfunction and failure of seals. 

It's important to keep operating temperatures within the recommended range to prevent seal hardening. Seal hardening is especially likely during stroking operations because the high speeds at which these applications take place can sometimes lead to heightened temperatures. 

Worn seal faces due to inadequate lubrication

When it comes to the operation of hydraulic equipment, adequate lubrication is important to prevent premature wear.

In addition to inadequate lubrication, another common cause of wear on hydraulic seals is lateral loads that are too heavy for the equipment pieces on which they are used. 

Contamination of hydraulic rods

It's important to keep contaminants such as jetsam and flotsam out of the hydraulic rods. Contamination by such materials can soil the seal and cause the seal to lose its ability to keep contaminants like mud and dirt out of the piston area. 

Erosion of seal materials

A hydraulic seal can begin to chemically erode over time if corrosive fluid comes into contact with the seal.

The way to prevent this type of seal failure is to make sure that any fluids used in the operation of hydraulic equipment are appropriate for the materials that make up equipment components. 

Pay attention to and keep out any additives or possible oxidation-reduction reactions to ensure that the seal lip doesn't break down due to erosion. 

Fractures on the seal's dynamic side

Fracturing can lead to damage to the seal's dynamic side due to issues like cracking and burning caused by pressure issues in hydraulic equipment. Maintaining the right pressure is of vital importance to assuring that fracturing is avoided when hydraulic equipment is used.


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About Me
Safety First With Industrial Equipment and Supplies

Hi, my name is Lewis McKinley and this is a blog about the safety of industrial equipment and supplies. When working with industrial equipment, employees must implement all safety measures to ensure they stay safe at all times. When I was growing up, my dad was a safety inspector, so my siblings and I were always reminded about safety and he taught us how to stay safe no matter what we were doing. Since I learned about safety at a young age, I always make sure that safety is a priority in everything I do. I enjoy doing research about safety and I keep up with changes in safety regulations for many industries. I hope that after you read my blog, you'll learn measures that you can take to remain safe around industrial equipment and supplies.

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