Abstract
The shaft mechanical face seal in a high-speed turbopump of a liquid rocket engine often operates under extremely harsh conditions. For example, a low-temperature and low-viscosity fluid (such as liquid oxygen or liquid hydrogen) is used as a lubricant. The performance of the seal rings, especially the friction and wear behavior, directly determines whether the seal functions normal. In this study, the friction and wear behavior of several ring materials are tested using a pin-on-disk tribo-tester, and the wear morphology of the ring is investigated. The friction coefficients (COFs) and mass-wear rates under dry-friction and water-lubricated conditions, which are used to simulate low-viscosity conditions, are obtained. The results show that at a pressure-velocity (PV) value of 2.4 MPa·(m/s), the COF between the copper graphite (stator) and copper-chrome alloy disk (rotor) is low (with a value of 0.18) under the dry-friction conditions, and the 5-min wear mass of the copper graphite is approximately 2 mg. Under the water-lubricated conditions, compared with other materials (such as copper-chrome alloy, S07 steel, alumina ceramic coating, and nickel-based calcium fluoride), the S07 steel with a diamond-like carbon film is preferred for use in a high-speed turbopump under extreme conditions. The results of this study can provide theoretical and experimental guidance in the design of mechanical face seals in liquid rocket engines.
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51575418) and the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province of China (No. 2019JM-034).
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Weigang ZHAO. He received the M.S. degree in mechanical engineering in 2005 from Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), China. He started to work at Xi’an Aerospace Propulsion Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation in 2003 and has been working on Turbopump system design and experiments. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Astronautics, NPU.
Guoyuan ZHANG. He received the M.S. degree in mechanical engineering in 2004 from NPU, China. He received the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering in 2009 from Xi’an Jiaotong University, China. He worked at NPU as a postdoctoral fellow from 2010 to 2013. He has joined the School of Electromechanical Engineering of Xidian University from 2013 and has been working on theoretical and experimental research and development on tribology (bearing, seal, lubricate, etc.), mechatronic system dynamics, and mechanical design method.
Guangneng DONG. He received his M.Phil. and Ph.D. degree from Theory of Lubrication and Bearing Institute in Xi’an Jiaotong University (China) in 1989 and 1999, respectively. Dr. DONG currently is a professor at the School of Mechanical Engineering of Xi’an Jiaotong University. His research interests are lubrication design and optimization of major equipment, advanced manufacturing and ultra-smooth surface technology, micro-nano surface/interface design, and surface engineering.
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Zhao, W., Zhang, G. & Dong, G. Friction and wear behavior of different seal materials under water-lubricated conditions. Friction 9, 697–709 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-020-0364-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-020-0364-5