Solving Seal Failures in the Construction Industry With Modified Sealing Solutions
FST's modified radial shaft seals (oil seals) solved sealing failures for construction compactors and power troweThe construction sector is an extremely important industry. This industry helps to build structures of the future while maintaining the livability of the buildings and structures we use every day. While this is often a dirty and physically demanding job for the workers, it is just as challenging for the equipment they utilize daily. These challenging demands require high-performing solutions for all equipment whether it’s just off the production line to the maintenance of your existing inventory.
Customer's Challenge
Construction creates extraordinarily dirty conditions with dust, sand, mud, and other foreign contaminants that pose a significant challenge to the seals. One of the most critical seals within the system is the radial shaft seal which is also commonly referred to as an oil seal. Radial shaft seals are crucial components that prevent the leakage of lubricants and contaminants in machinery and equipment. In a construction setting, these seals are subjected to extreme temperatures, high pressures, abrasive materials, and frequent mechanical shocks, which can accelerate wear and compromise the effectiveness of the seal over time. Additionally, the diverse range of machinery and equipment used in construction, from heavy-duty excavators to specialized drilling rigs, requires radial shaft seals with varying specifications and performance capabilities. Ensuring the reliability and longevity of radial shaft seals in such challenging conditions is a complex task that necessitates careful design, material selection, and maintenance strategies to minimize downtime and costly repairs.
A leading manufacturer of construction equipment was looking for a seal to withstand harsh environmental conditions and provide cost savings for their compactor and power trowel equipment. The seals from their current supplier were not performing even close to an acceptable level as they were regularly failing resulting in unexpected downtime for the maintenance personnel to replace the seals. The situation cost a lot of critical time putting projects behind schedule, but it also proved to be expensive to replace the seals long before their expected service life was set to be over.
About the Construction Equipment
Compactors are most commonly used for the compaction of the ground to create a strong base for the foundations of buildings, roads, parking lots, and more. They are highly specialized pieces of equipment to ensure the soil is ready to support whatever is being built.
Power trowels are one of the most critical pieces of equipment used to work with concrete, these essential machines are utilized to level, smooth, and polish the concrete surface to its final state. There are two different types of power trowels, “Walk-behind” and “ride-on” both variations operate very similarly but are each best suited for different scales of projects.
The Solution
FST"s engineering team conducted a technical analysis of the application to understand all of the factors affecting the performance of the seal. Quickly after the analysis was completed, FST developed and manufactured a custom-modified radial shaft seal that successfully withstood the sandy conditions that the seals were facing in their daily operation. After the testing showed very promising results, the seals were placed into the application.
Since implementation, the seal failures have stopped in this application, ensuring confidence that the equipment can be reliably operated between their normal planned maintenance cycles. The customer has estimated that the new sealing solutions have resulted in a minimum of $25,000 annually in cost savings when considering replacement seals and downtime, not to mention the peace of mind provided to customers knowing projects won’t fall behind schedule. FST's custom-modified seals provided a reliable supply of seals that delivered cost savings, high performance, and reduced lead times.
The original article can be found on Freudenberg's website.
Gallahger Fluid Seals is a preferred partner of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies. For a custom sealing solution, contact us today.
