Xie Liangxi

Study of upward deflection of RVA end-seal and development of failure preventive measures

The performance of a hydraulic rotary vane actuator is directly affected by the action of its end seal. An increase in the height of the actuators seal ring, following precompression, and the shear effect of the vane and rotor on the seal ring can induce arch failure of the end seal. This article describes the use of finite element software to analyse the contact between the end seal and vane. The observation of the arch and associated force has enabled the design and development of a type of end seal that is less prone to failure and capable of improving the performance of the hydraulic rotary vane actuator.

Study of Contact Stress and Extrusion of Vane Seals via Numerical Method

Contact stress of vane seals is studied by using numerical and FEA method based on the linear elasticity theory. Results show that numerical model is appropriate to predict the distributing curve of contact stress when the maximum normal strain is lower than 10-15%. But, with sealed extrusion, finite element analysis (FEA) would be better due to the complexity of the material properties, local geometry and boundary conditions. Accordingly, nonlinear FEA analysis is adopted to study the effect of section shape and section structure on the extrusion process of vane seals. Results illustrate that extrusion occurs with elastomeric seals with rectangular section while a backup PTFE can minimize or eliminate the extrusion.