DICHTOMATIK

Installation housing Shaft Surface hardness of the shaft

Besides the rotary shaft seal, the shaft is The lifespan of the sealing point is also
a key machine element in the rotation dependent on the surface hardness of
sealing system and must therefore fulfill the contact surface on the shaft. The
a number of technical requirements in surface hardness should be at least
order to ensure good sealing action. 45 HRC.

The correct shaft composition design in Should there be influx of contaminated

the contact surface area of the sealing media or dirt from the outside, and
edge of the rotary shaft seal is very with peripheral speeds of ≥ 4 m/s, the
important to the lifespan and the sealing surface hardness must be at least
function of the rotation sealing system. 55 HRC – 60 HRC.

In the event of surface hardening, a

Tolerances hardness penetration depth of at least
The ISO tolerance field h11 according 0.3 mm is required.
to DIN ISO 286 is to be applied to the
shaft diameter d1 in the contact surface Chrome-plated, cadmium-plated, nitrided
area of the sealing edge of the rotary and phosphated shaft surfaces require
shaft seal in order to attain the necessary special treatment processes. Case by
prestressing. Tolerance class IT 8 is valid case decisions must be made regarding
for the roundness of the shaft. their suitability. Following nitration the
grey layer is to be smoothed. With
chrome-plated shaft surfaces the
Surface finish of the shaft formation of lubricating film is to be
The shaft must be treated circularly in determined by subsequent plunge
the contact surface area. grinding.

The surface roughness, measured

longitudinally, should lie within the
following ranges:

Ra = 0.2 to 0.8 µm
Rz = 1.0 to 4.0 µm
Rmax ≤ 6.3 µm

Shaft surfaces that are too smooth

(Ra < 0.2 µm) combined with excessive
peripheral speeds lead to malfunctions.
The supply of lubricant to the sealing
edge is impeded, the hydrodynamic
lubricating film under the sealing edge
is broken and thermal damage to the
sealing edge results. Shaft surfaces that
are too rough quickly lead to premature
wear of the sealing edge. In both cases,
serious leakage is the result.

Should axial movements also occur at

the rotating shaft, the following
roughness depths should be observed
to ensure a good sealing action:
Ra ≤ 0.2 µm
Rz ≤ 0.8 µm
 Contact surface area
The previously named values for surface
finish and surface hardness are to be
observed within the contact surface area
specified in the table below. The contact
surface area is specified in terms of the
sealing width b.
L1

L2
b L1 min. L2 min. L3 min. L4 min.
7 3.5 6.1 1.5 7.6
b
8 3.5 6.8 1.5 8.3
10 4.5 8.5 2 10.5
12 5 10 2 12
15 6 12 3 15
20 9 16.5 3 19.5

Treatment of the shaft surface with a micro-thread. The feed direction is

L3
The shaft is treated spiral-free and dependent on the rotational direction of
L4 circularly in the contact surface area the shaft. When selecting the rotary shaft
of the sealing edge to ensure that no seal it is essential that the shaft can also
b feeding or pumping effect occurs at the feed against the sealing direction if the
sealing point and thereby causes rotational direction changes. For this
leakage. The correct treatment of the reason, either hard turning should be
contact surface is very important for the used for shafts with only one rotational
sealing function. direction (shaft feed direction towards
the oil chamber) or a rotary shaft seal
The following treatment methods are should be selected that is capable of
used: feeding the feed stream created by the
hard-turned shaft back into the oil
Plunge grinding chamber.
The most frequently used method is
plunge grinding (grinding without axial The friction torque of rotary shaft seals is
feed of the grinding wheel) as this comparable to that of ground shafts.
produces a completely spiral-free sliding
surface. To obtain a high degree of Dichtomatik conducts various test runs
efficiency the sparking out time must with different rotary shaft seal types at
be 30 seconds. The grinding wheel is a renowned scientific institute. In order
whetted with a multi-grain dresser to to guarantee the maximum possible
ensure that no spiral occurs. During functional reliability we strongly advise
grinding, an integral transmission ratio that the selection of seals should be
between the rotational speed of the shaft verified by test runs. For further infor-
(e.g. 50 1/min) and the rotational speed mation, e.g. process parameters or
of the grinding wheel (e.g. 1500 1/min) test runs, please contact Dichtomatik's
is to be avoided. development department.

Hard turning
When hard turning, special process Flow turning
parameters such as feed, cutting speed,
depth of cut and cutting material must Deep-drawn sheet metal
be observed in order to produce a
usable sliding surface. The reason for
choosing this treatment method is its high Other methods include lapping, honing,
cost-efficiency. Other advantages are: grinding with emery, reaming and
– complete treatment in one mounting abrasive blasting. These methods can
– short set-up times produce sliding surfaces of only limited
– fewer production steps correctness for a rotary shaft seal.
– no wheel swarf to dispose of Sliding surfaces prepared like this
– precisely defined surface structure should definitely be checked with
of the shaft sufficient test runs.

Turned shafts have a considerable feed

effect in one direction, i.e. due to the
orientation of the treatment scores
(spiral) the oil is fed in one direction, as
 Spiral-freeness of the shaft Shafts and shaft sleeves can be tested
surface for spiral-freeness using the thread
It is essential that the contact surface method. To obtain a reliable result,
area of the shaft has been made spiral- various parameters, e.g. angle of
free to ensure that no feed or pump thread contact, rotational speed and
effect occurs at the point of sealing, weight must be observed. The test
thereby disturbing the functional thread slides on the wetted, spiral-free
mechanism of the rotary shaft seal and contact surface without any change in
causing leakage. Spiral-free means that the axial track. If there is a spiral the
the treatment marks show no orientation test thread moves axially to the left or
such as a rising micro-thread. right, depending on the rotational
direction.

ground spiral-free

Shaft surface spiral measuring devise

“Thread method”

Shaft material lubricating film can be improved only

Common tempering steels are suitable as by subsequent plunge grinding.
shaft material if the values for the surface
hardness are observed. Plastic shafts are also suitable only
to a limited degree. As plastics have
The formation of corrosion in the contact a very low thermal conduction
surface area of the rotary shaft seal is coefficient, the heat dissipation via
to be avoided. Shafts made of heat- the shaft is impaired and there is a
treatable, high-alloy, rust-resistant steel high rise in temperature at the sealing
are therefore to be used to seal water edge. At and above certain rotational
or aqueous media. For low peripheral speeds the plastic can soften or melt.
speeds and secondary applications,
nonferrous metals can also be used. For all shaft surface materials the same
applies: the required values for surface
Cast iron materials are sometimes finish and hardness must be observed.
suitable as shaft material if they are
cavity-free and have a pore size of If the shaft cannot be made with the
< 0.05 mm. required contact surface properties
for economic, design or technical
In special cases, ceramic layers can be manufacturing reasons, corresponding
used as shaft material if the surface is shaft sleeves can be used. Dichtomatik
sealed and a pore size of < 0.05 mm is supplies shaft sleeves in all dimensions
ensured. In addition, the required and various materials and the
surface finish must be observed and a development department realises
good bond to the basic shaft material them in terms of design.
ensured.

Hard chrome-plated shafts are suitable

only to a limited degree due to poor
formation of the lubricating film and
eccentric wear. The formation of the
Permissible coaxial tolerance (mm)
Outer Out-of-roundness
Location bore
bounding The out-of-roundness or dynamic
0,45
circle eccentricity of the shaft should be kept
0,4 within small tolerances. Otherwise, at
0,35
high rotational speeds, there is a danger
0,3
0,25 SI t of the sealing lip, due to its inertia, no
0,2 longer being able to follow the shaft.
0,15
NB, AC und FP If this creates too large a gap between
0,1
0,05 sealing edge and shaft on one side, the
0 medium to be sealed escapes and
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000
leakage occurs. It is therefore advisable
rotational speed (min-1)
to position the rotary shaft seal in the
Permissible coaxial tolerance of the shaft
immediate vicinity of the bearing and to
keep bearing play as small as possible.
The permissible values for out-of-
Centre Inner bounding roundness in terms of rotational speed
of bore Shaft circle are shown in the diagram on the left.
Illustration of out-of-roundness tolerance
Limited values apply to our pressurisable
type WAY/WASY because the sealing
lip here is considerably more rigid.

Installation chamfer Chamfer on the shaft

d1 d3 Two following designs of the shaft
<10 d1 -1.5 shoulder are suggested:
10 < 20 d1 -2 Installation direction Z of the shaft
20 < 30 d1 -2.5 Rounding of the shaft shoulder with
30 < 40 d1 -3 r = 0.6 to 1mm.
40 < 50 d1 -3.5
50 < 70 d1 -4 Installation direction Y of the shaft
70 < 95 d1 -4.5 Chamfering of the shaft shoulder,
95 < 130 d1 -5.5 recommended angle 15° to 25°.
130 < 240 d1 -7 The chamfer diameter d3 is listed in the
240 < 500 d1 -11 adjacent table.

Damage to the shaft

It is essential that all kinds of damage
such as scoring, scratching, dents,
cavities, pores or corrosion on the
Transition rounded
contact surface of the shaft are avoided.
and polished
This leads to premature failure and
leakage. 30% of such failures are
caused by incorrect shaft treatment or
ground spiral-free damage. Shafts should therefore be
protected carefully from production to
final installation. Transport fixtures or
specially moulded or slip-on sleeves
made of plastic can be used.
15°-25°
R

Y Z
Rmax. f,r type A = 0.6
ød1 ød3 Rmax. f,r type AS = 1
Housing bore The design of the housing bore is Chamfer on the housing bore
important because the static sealing The housing bore should have a
(second leakage path) by the outer chamfer of 10° to 20° and the
sheath of the rotary shaft seal takes transitions should be free of burs in order
place inside it. To obtain a firm and tight to facilitate problem-free installation of
seating in the housing bore it is essential the rotary shaft seal.
that the following technical requirements
are observed: Surface finish of the housing bore
In order to obtain good static tightness
and a secure, firm seating in the housing
Tolerances bore, the following roughness values
For the bore diameter d2 the ISO should be observed:
tolerance field H8 in accordance with
DIN ISO 286 is to be allowed for in permissible values for types with rubber
order to obtain good static sealing outer sleeve WA
performance in combination with the Ra = 1.6 to 6.3 µm
press-fit allowance at the outer sleeve Rz = 10 to 20 µm
of the rotary shaft seals. Rmax ≤ 25 µm

permissible values for types with metal

Housing dimensions outer sleeve WB, WC
The axial housing dimensions and the Ra = 0.8 to 3.2 µm
pertaining corner radii are given in the Rz = 6.3 to 16 µm
table in relation to the rotary shaft seal Rmax ≤ 16 µm
height b:
Rotary shaft seals with metal sheaths
b t1 min. t2 min. R1 and/or application in combination
7 5.95 7.3 with thin fluid media or gas, a very good
8 6.8 8.3 0.5 surface quality is required, i.e. the
10 8.5 10.3 surface in the housing bore should be
12 10.3 12.3 free of damage and treatment marks of
15 12.75 15.3 0.7 any kind, e.g. scratching, scoring,
20 17 20.3 cavities and dents.

t2

10°-20°

Transition rounded
R1 and polished

Static sealing surface

t1

ød2H8
 Coaxiality tolerances in the on the shaft which can lead to an im-

Permissible coaxial tolerance (mm)

0,4 housing bore pairment of the sealing function and
The permissible coaxiality tolerance thereby cause leakage. It should be
0,3
(concentricity deviation) between the noted that shorter sealing lips
0,2 housing bore and the shaft/bearing (pressurisable type WAY/WASY)
position is shown in the adjacent table. require smaller permissible values.
0,1
Coaxiality leads to the uneven With special elastomers, more flexible
0 distribution of contact pressure at the sealing lip mountings and longer
20 60 100 140 180 220 260 circumference. This results on the one sealing lips the coaxiality tolerance
0 40 80 120 160 200 240 280 hand in greater strain on the sealing can be increased. The coaxiality
Shaft – Ø (mm) edge which leads to premature wear. deviation should be kept as small as
On the other hand there is too little possible in order to obtain even
The permissible coaxiality tolerance contact pressure of the sealing edge specific radial force/line pressure.
between the housing bore and the shaft

Centre
Shaft of shaft
Tm

Materials for housings The differences in the thermal

The following materials are used for expansion coefficients of steel, cast
housings and housing covers/flanges iron materials, nonferrous metals,
that hold the rotary shaft seal: plastics (thermoplasts) and elastomers
t

Centre Location are sometimes very large and thus

of bore bore – steel and heat-treatable steel common cause various problems. If there is a
in mechanical engineering rise in temperature between a non-
Coaxiality tolerances – cast iron materials, e.g. GGG, GG, ferrous metal or plastic housing and a
GS, GTS rotary shaft seal with a metal casing,
– nonferrous metals and nonferrous the prestressing decreases due to the
metal alloys, e.g. G-AlMg very different thermal expansion
– plastics, e.g. thermoplasts and duro- coefficients and the seal may be
plasts pushed out. The use of rotary shaft
seals with rubber casing (e.g. type
When selecting the rotary shaft seal WA) is therefore recommended for
type and the housing material it is nonferrous metal or plastic housings.
essential to take the heat dissipation These are designed with a larger
coefficient into consideration as this press-fit allowance and can follow the
varies greatly in the materials given expansion of the housing better
above. because of their much higher thermal
expansion coefficient. Rotary shaft
seals with a grooved, rubber-encased
Thermal expansion outer surface (type WAK) are designed
The thermal expansion behaviour with an even higher press-fit allowance
(thermal expansion coefficient) of the and can therefore cover even larger
rotary shaft seal and housing materials gaps. Housings made of steel or
are of key importance to the static cast-iron material in combination with
sealing process in the housing a rotary shaft seal with a rubber outer
bore (second leakage path). During sleeve offer the greatest advantages
operation, considerable temperature from a thermal point of view.
differences can occur that then result
in different linear dimensional changes
in the different materials. The linear
dimensional changes can be calculated
using the generally valid law of linear
extension:

∅L = ␣ · ∅T · L0 [mm]
 a Permissible skew Shaft Right-
The installed rotary shaft seal must be diameter/mm angle tolerance/mm
as central and vertical to the shaft as
possible. The right-angle tolerance up to 25 0.1
should not exceed the values in the over 25 up to 80 0.2
adjacent table. Larger deviations (skew) over 80 0.3
lead to a pumping action and have a
negative influence on the sealing
function. Furthermore, excessive one-
sided wear on the sealing lip is to be
expected with rough surfaces.

Rigidity
For economic reasons, mount housings
are frequently designed with very thin
walls. When installing rotary shaft seals
in thin-walled housing bores or mount
housings with low stability there is a
danger of the mount housing being
considerably enlarged, which can lead
to leakage. The enlargement of the
housing bore must therefore be kept
within the limits possible by the selection
of the correct rotary shaft seal type in
order to guarantee the wringing fit
necessary for static tightness.

We recommend using rotary shaft seals

with a rubber sleeve (e.g. WA) or apply-
ing a larger housing bore tolerance.

Illustration of skew Split housings

In split housings, static tightness can also
be obtained at the partition lines with the
type WA (rubber outer sleeve).

Due to the good elastic deformability

of the elastomer and its mould filling
capacity, the required static tightness is
obtained with the type WA. This means
that split mount housings with different
partition levels and possible offset at
the partition lines can also be securely
sealed.