Bearing seals have a dual function, stopping impurities from entering your parts while also preventing lubricants from leaking out. Both functions can help your bearings last longer, but finding the correct seals for your parts is critical. Let's have a look at the many types of seals that are available for your bearing products.
Contact Seals
A contact seal, commonly known as a lip seal, is a rubber portion connected to a steel insert (usually Buna-N and nitrile). This seal is meant to apply constant pressure on a bearing's inner ring, resulting in the contact that the seal's name suggests.
Contact seals make it extremely difficult for contaminants such as dust, dirt, and moisture to enter the inner components of your bearing since they make direct contact with the inner ring. Contact seals are also great at keeping lubricants out of your bearing.
Contact with the inner bearing produces both friction and heat, which is a trade-off for superior sealing performance. Increased friction and heat can harm the bearing and seal, resulting in premature part failure. The addition of friction can limit the bearing's maximum speed, so you'll have to balance your need for top-end sealing performance against the risk of wear and tear and loss of top speed.
Non- Contact Seals
Non-contact seals are made out of Buna-N and nitrile rubber pieces attached to a steel insert, similar to contact seals. The key difference between the two is that non-contact seals are attached to the outer ring of your bearing and do not exert any pressure on the inner ring.
While non-contact bearings do not make contact with the inner ring, they do have a tiny lip that touches it. This design offers some resistance to pollutants and leakage, but not as much as a contact seal. The lack of contact with the inner bearing, on the other hand, causes less friction, which can help prevent overheating and other problems.
Labyrinth Seals
A labyrinth seal is a type of bearing isolator that combines contact and non-contact seal elements into a single component. The purpose of a labyrinth seal is to prevent leakage and contamination by presenting both substances with a challenging path to follow.
Labyrinth seals are made up of several components, one of which is stationary and the other of which rotates with the system. The two components interlock to provide a long, thin grooved route through which substances cannot escape or pierce the bearing.
A labyrinth seal's complexity allows it to give great sealing qualities. It can also protect against pollutants and prevent leaking without coming into contact with the inner ring. As a result, labyrinth seals combine the sealing qualities of a contact seal with the extra friction-reduction benefits of a non-contact seal.
While labyrinth seals combine the advantages of both touch and non-contact sealing, they do have significant drawbacks. The first is that, depending on your application, the complexity of the design may necessitate more physical space than other seals, which can be difficult to handle. The second is that labyrinth seals can be more expensive than other sealing alternatives due to their complexity. As a result, you'll need to consider the advantages of these parts to see if they're worth it in the long run.
How to Identify the right seals for your bearings
Bearing seal selection is influenced by a number of criteria, including maximum temperatures, required lubricants, physical space, and more. Each factor might influence not only which type of bearing is best for your application, but also material requirements and other parameters.
While seal selection is critical to your bearings' success, you don't have to make that decision alone. Our experts at EIBC can help you figure out which bearings and bearing seals are the most cost-effective for your application, environment, and end product.
Are you ready to find the best parts for your applications? Contact us right away to discuss your bearing requirements.