Performance degradation of hydraulic cylinder reciprocating seals

Hydraulic cylinder is one of the most important components in hydraulic system. Reciprocating seal is the essential part of hydraulic cylinder, whose health status and lifetime will directly affect the safety and reliability of the whole hydraulic system. Therefore, it is significant to study the degradation performance of reciprocating seal on cylinder. This paper considers the O-ring seal structure, which is widely used in reciprocating seal of hydraulic cylinder, and uses leakage as the performance indicator. Through combining of finite element simulation and numerical solution obtained by mathematical model, the leakage model of reciprocating seal is established. Then the effects of medium pressure, seal compression rate and friction coefficient on the seal leakage rate are analyzed. This model could provide a reference for the proper use of rubber O-rings and is helpful for the study of seal failure rules and life prediction methods.