Helping to ensure that the world keeps on spinning is exactly what SKF does best. When it comes to critical wheel-end applications – found for example in tractors, trucks, and construction vehicles (even racing cars!) – things are no different. With productivity and profitability the name of the game, it’s vital that rotating equipment solutions and the seals that fortify them are equipped to deal with the challenges that such operating conditions present.
Tough mudder
Tailored for use in oil-lubricated, heavy-duty applications in harsh environments and tough operating conditions, SKF MUD11 is a like-for-like solution. This means that OEMs and end-users can simply retrofit the new and improved curled seal in a two-step installation process without the need to machine existing shafts to accommodate for it. A built-in wear sleeve makes this possible.
OEMs and end-users alike can benefit from optimized productivity, reliability, and cost by using SKF MUD11.
Once the seal is operative, SKF MUD11 spotlights its true benefits. It’s spring-loaded lip and its design means it is able to minimize friction by 20 percent when compared with standard solutions, making it more efficient and reducing energy loss simultaneously.
A multi-lip cassette seal, it features a unique steel counter surface to prevent contaminants and abrasives (and mud – as the name suggests!) from entering the bearing network, while withholding vital lubrication. Additionally, the elastomeric sealing material used is a special SKF-formulated NBR rubber. However, SKF MUD11 is also available in other compounds including fluoro rubber, hydrogenated nitrile rubber, or polyacrylate to meet the demands of different operating conditions.
OEM benefits at a glance:
Increased seal service life – up to 50%
Reduced seal friction – up to 20%
Extended wheel-end service life
Reduced warranty claims and costs
No need for expensive shaft machining
Put to the test
To help validate performance in tough conditions common to agricultural and construction environments, SKF’s team of experts test SKF Mudblock seals at global testing facilities in USA, Europe, and Asia. Following this, and using the so-called “finite element analysis”, SKF MUD11 undergoes evaluation of stress behavior of the multiple sealing lips in a deformed condition, lip contact forces, and opening pressure, lip displacement. The analysis is completed with a simulated assembly of both seal and its integrated wear sleeve.
Find out more about SKF Mudblock seals by visiting the SKF website. What’s more, you can head over to YouTube to reveal some interesting insights into SKF MUD11. Simply click here to watch the video now.