How rubber and fabric combine to great effect

Material selection has a significant impact on seal performance and reliability. This is even more true in demanding, heavy industry applications where extended service life is required and conditions are rigorous. And whether mining solid materials from the earth or lifting and lowering heavy loads with absolute precision; operators will always want to ensure they have a dependable solution to hand, reliably configured to their equipment to provide a fast, simple installation.

Rubber-fabric reinforcement  

Fortunately, Industrial Seals Expert presents a tried and tested alternative to common heavy industry seals made only from NBR, HNBR, or FKM. These seals are known by SKF and its customers as reinforced shaft seals for heavy-duty industrial applications. The comprehensive range includes complementary offers regarding size, flexibility, customization, and engineering services.

Falling under SKF’s heavy industrial seals (HIS) nomenclature, the HFS solution is SKF’s “off-the-shelf” radial shaft sealing solution to alleviate common handling and installation issues on housings which require a cover plate. Reinforced with a combination of rubber and fabric, they are finished oversized to the housing bore to allow for proper compression and stability. But the offer doesn’t end with HFS.

All-rubber solutions

HSS is the customizable alternative to the HFS – the big difference is that customers can approach can request bespoke solutions for their sealing needs. Both ensure excellent seal stability in the housing bore and easy handling properties, as well as the ability to be mounted quickly and efficiently. HSS has a hard rubber reinforcement, combining high stability with the benefit of strong, static sealing performance.

Click here for our brochure, which lists all detailed specifications regarding the reinforced rubber shaft seal range.

All solutions mentioned in the brochure are interchangeable with most seals in the heavy industry equipment market, and, as stated, often incorporate large designs for improved seal performance, reliability, and handling. Typical applications are in steel and aluminum rolling, pulp and paper, mining, construction machinery, heavy-duty gearboxes, and special purpose machinery – all heavy-duty seal applications where demanding operating conditions require a robust and reliable seal. All seals of the HFS range can be equipped with lubrication grooves at the back to allow for re-greasing between the sealing lips in back-to-back or tandem installations of two seals.

Both designs are available as split and solid seals, enabling easy installation without shaft dismounting in large machinery. However, split seal execution is often selected to simplify seal installation processes in the large-size equipment entering the market. In many examples, the shafts between drive transmission or gears cannot always be disassembled.

Support all the way

Companies like SKF will work alongside OEMs and end-users to select the appropriate material, create a suitable design, and even figure out which seal manufacturing process works best. Maximum rotation speed and the likelihood of temperature-raising friction occurring will be considered among other factors. Refer to our article series on Seal Selection for more on that – you can begin with part one here!

Find out more

If you would like to learn more about SKF’s innovative sealing solutions for heavy industry, including the aforementioned HFS rubber fabric-reinforced radial shaft seals, simply head over to skf.com or refer to the brochure.