Company Reports Advancements in Vane Sealing Technology

Click here to find suppliers

FORT WAYNE, Ind.--Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, a worldwide supplier of sealing and bearing systems, recently announced that advances in the design and manufacturing of vane seals have helped make "viable" the possibility of using rotary vane actuators across a wide range of engineering applications. These applications are said to include contemporary engineering designs, such as the control of aircraft wing flaps, anti-roll suspension systems on high-performance premium cars, and machine tools, such as multi-directional tube bending equipment. Trelleborg has reported what it calls a "breakthrough" in the effective and economic development of vane seals, which the company says came about through the development of an innovative method for stamping sintered Turcon® plates.

According to the company, the process replaces high-cost milling, previously required to achieve the rectangular seals with razor-sharp edges that are essential to sealing integrity within rotary actuator applications. These latest manufacturing advances are said to provide distinct cost and performance benefits to customers and extend the potential applications for rotary vane actuators in many areas of industry.

"Effective sealing of rotary vane actuators is a challenge, as the shape to be sealed is rectangular, and the four corners of the rectangular seals must be razor-sharp," said Antonio Garcia, aerospace segment manager for Trelleborg Sealing Solutions Americas, in a statement from the company. "In the event of there not being a perfectly sealed surface, sealing integrity may be compromised, as liquid could leak from one working space to another. It was thought the only effective method of producing these sharp-edged rectangular seals was through a high-cost milling process. We proposed an alternative concept--to stamp sintered plates in Turcon® PTFE-based material, to the shape of the seal."

Using its proprietary Turcon® PTFE-based material, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions was able to successfully produce the vane seals with "razor-sharp edges." Use of the high-performance material reportedly ensured sealing integrity at room temperature and extremes, ranging from -40°F/ -40°C to well above +212°F/ +100°C, and at pressure exceeding 2,176psi / 150 bar.

Although the majority of actuators are designed with one or two vanes, versions are available with three or more vanes, the company says. In a two-vane rotary actuator, a rotor replaces the piston, which operates within linear hydraulic cylinders, with two vanes attached. When fluid pressure is applied to two of the four working chambers, the actuator turns, necessitating perfect sealing to prevent leakage across the chambers. This type of seal is called a vane seal.

Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, formerly known as Busak+Shamban, is a major developer, manufacturer, and supplier of precision seals. The company supports its aerospace, industrial, and automotive customers through 30 production facilities and more than 40 marketing companies globally.

For more information, visit www.trelleborg.com

Click here to find suppliers