Abstract: | Non-contact seals eliminate the contact between the sealed surfaces and have the effect of avoiding all disadvantages related to friction, wear and lubrication, found at mobile-contact seals. Friction inside the non-contact seal clearances is a complex phenomenon, having as consequences the thermal process of energy loss (heat) and also the wear of the clearance active surfaces. It follows that the study of the tribological behavior of non-contact seals imposes their research to be done through the approach of at least the following aspects: the development, the evolution and the consequences of the thermal regimen, respectively, the appearance, the evolution and the effects of wear. |
