Design and experimental investigation of symmetrical embedded magnetic fluid rotary seal with small gap.

A novel symmetrical embedded magnetic fluid seal (SEMFS) structure was designed with the aim of enhancing the pressure resistance of the magnetic fluid (MF) seal with small gap under vacuum condition. The magnetic field distribution in the sealing gap (SG) was studied by numerical simulation, and the theoretical pressure resistant-withstanding of the SEMFS was obtained by combining the pressure resistance theories of stepped MFS. An experimental study was conducted to investigate the effects of magnetic fluid injection volume (MFIV), number of pole teeth, SG, and rotational speed of the rotating shaft on the seal's pressure resistance. The pressure resistant-withstanding values obtained were compared with those theoretically projected for the (SEMFS) and the ordinary magnetic fluid seal (OMFS), based on numerical analysis. The results indicate that the measured pressure value for the SEMFS matches well with the calculated pressure value. Furthermore, the SEMFS exhibits superior pressure resistance capabilities compared to the OMFS when subjected to the same parameters, which fully reflects the superiority of SEMFS structure. With an augment in the injection volume of MF, the pressure-withstanding performance of the SEMFS exhibits an initial upward trend followed by a gradual stabilization. Moreover, the pressure-withstanding performance of the SEMFS demonstrates a progressive enhancement with an increase in the number of radial pole teeth (RPT) and a corresponding increment in the number of axial pole teeth (APT). The ability to resist pressure of SEMFS decreases as the radial sealing gap (RSG) and axial sealing gap (ASG) increase. At low shaft speeds, the SEMFS's pressure resistance capability is not impacted by rotational speed and can be considered similar to a static seal. • A novel symmetrical embedded magnetic fluid seal structure was designed. • A sealing test bench was designed to conduct experimental studies on the sealing performance. • The symmetrical embedded magnetic fluid seal structure exhibits superior pressure resistance capabilities compared to the traditional sealing structure. • The increase of the magnetic fluid volume will cause the sealing pressure resistance to rise first and then stabilize. • The more the teeth, the smaller the seal gap and the greater the pressure value. The low speed has almost no effect on the pressure resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]