Numerical study of a rotary lip seal with a quasi-random sealing surface

In all previous numerical simulations of the rotary lip seal, the sealing surface was modeled by regular periodic structures. In the present study, a more realistic quasirandom surface is used. A mixed elastohydrodynamic analysis is used to generate predictions of such seal operating characteristics as friction coefficient, reverse pumping rate, film thickness distribution, hydrodynamic and contact pressure distributions, contact area, and cavitation area. The results are in qualitative agreement with previous experimental observations. In the course of the simulations, a new physical mechanism of reverse pumping has been identified.