EKC2023

Tribology of Seals for High Vacuum Feedthrough Development

Aug 16, 2023, 4:05 PM

15m

Others [IFO] Dual R&BD Cooperation Platform between Korea and Germany in Materials-Components-Equipments

Speaker

Prof. Dae-Eun Kim (School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University)

Description

Mechanical systems comprise numerous components that undergo relative motion while in contact with a countersurface. As the parts move, they inevitably experience frictional interaction which directly influences the degree of energy dissipation or consumption. With prolonged motion, the surface of the mechanical components may be degraded due to wear, and ultimately lead to complete failure of the mechanical system. Therefore, to achieve high energy efficiency and reliability of the system, the tribological properties of the moving components need to be optimized.
Seals are important mechanical components that are subject to failure due to frictional interaction during operation. There are numerous types of seals depending on the application and the operating environment. Tribological issues are particularly critical for seals operating in a vacuum system since lubricating oil cannot be utilized to reduce friction. Hence, in the case of seals used for vacuum feedthrough applications, there is a great challenge to overcome the friction and wear issues related to the seal system.
In this work, the general working principles of seals and their tribological properties were investigated. Furthermore, the difference in the friction and wear of mechanical components between ambient and vacuum environments was assessed. It has been previously reported that the vacuum environment poses a severe sliding condition from the friction point of view due to an increase in surface energy which may lead to more adhesive interaction between the sliding components. For the experiment work, a pin-on-disk type of a tribotester was designed and situated inside a vacuum chamber. The shaft material was used as the disk specimen and the countersurface was made in the shape of a rounded pin. From the experiments, the friction and wear properties of the seal components could be effectively assessed. These results are expected to aid in optimizing the design of seals for high vacuum feedthrough development.

References

Acknowledgements: This research was financially supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) through the International Cooperative R&D program (Project ID: P0019808).