Product category:
Seals
News Release from: Freudenberg Simrit LP | Subject: Simmerring with integral leakage sensor
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 07 July 2003
Seals take sensors onboard
A novel range of radial shaft seals integrate leakage sensors to predict failures.
Radial shaft seals are exposed to greater loads and stresses than most other machine elements They are the key interface on flange bores and indispensable for the serviceability of many machines and plants
These essential elements have been made even more reliable by the integration of a leakage sensor directly into the Simmerring.
The Simmerring with integral sensor indicates when the time has come for maintenance or replacement.
This simplifies servicing, especially in difficult-to-access areas or isolated machines and plants.
It also makes it easier to plan maintenance more precisely.
Simmerrings are reliable and robust machine elements that can be subjected to high stresses or loads.
Decades of empirical development work and the optimisation that has recently been made possible by calculation and simulation have made the Simmerring an indispensable sealing element for almost every flange bore.
Simmerrings guarantee the reliable performance of countless machines and aggregates, even under the toughest operating conditions.
Rotary shaft seals are subject to wear.
However, for physical, tribological or chemical reasons, they often only have to be replaced for the first time after well over 10kh of operation.
To avoid replacing a fully functional rotary shaft seal as a preventive measure, a Simmerring has been developed that informs the operator of the state of the seal.
If the sealing function of the Simmerring begins to deteriorate at the end of its service life, the leakage is instantly absorbed in a leakage collector.
An integral sensor in the sealing system identifies the leakage and generates a signal that is then evaluated by a programmable electronic unit.
This sensor signal is beneficial in several ways.
Once the first leak has been registered and automatically monitored and evaluated, a message can automatically be sent to the operator of the aggregate or the plant once a freely programmable interval has elapsed.
While this only marginally extends the service life of the sealing system, it means that its replacement can be planned in accordance with the size and gravity of the leakage as part of a regular maintenance service in order to avoid additional machine downtime.
Many small gears contain very little oil.
This means that if a leakage goes unnoticed, the risk to the aggregate can be great.
The sensor signal helps avoid such malfunctions.
The sensor signal can be used for telediagnosis.
For example, a message can be sent to the maintenance company either by telephone or via the Internet, allowing them to plan and prepare the replacement of the seal in good time.
It also allows the performance of the Simmerring sealing system to be monitored from a distance.
The Simmerring with integral leakage sensor is a modified version of the standard BAU-X2 or BAUM Simmerring.
It is made of elastomer - either NBR or FKM.
Where necessary, other additional sensors - such as temperature-monitoring sensors - can be integrated into these Simmerrings with leakage sensors for Simrit sealing systems.
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