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Engines
Modern race engines are designed to run continuously at higher speeds & for a longer reliable life than was previously required.
Although other PTFE seal technologies were well-established in engine applications, the introduction of more sophisticated means of testing & monitoring aspects of the engine performance have revealed frequent shortcomings in the older style PTFE seal technologies.
In particular, due to the design of these PTFE seals, it has been found possible for air leakage to occur under the seal & into the crankcase with the crankshaft dynamics at higher engine speeds,
This air flow not only affects windage & engine power output, but also affects oxidation of the oil film & the production of abrasive carbon particles which can cause shaft surface wear.
Similar dynamic gas flow tests have shown that our PLS Seal technology is arguably the best for all engine seals & particularly for crankshaft seal applications.This is due to the inherent design flexibility which enables the seal lip to maintain full contiguous sealing contact. Even at very high RPM & with high crankcase vacuum levels, sealing intergrity is maintained.
Engine applications include:
- Front & Rear Crankshaft Seals
- Cam Shaft Seals
- Distributor Shaft Seals
- Oil / Scavenge Pump Seals
- Valve Stem Seals
- Supercharger Seals,
- Fuel Pump Seals.
Valve Stem Seals
Valve Stem Seals in modern race engines experience operating conditions much more extreme than in previous generations. The higher speeds, higher temperatures, with chemical attack due to oil oxidation, all effect the reliability of the Stem Seals.
There are also little understood effects from the combination of inlet boost pressures & crankcase evacuation which affect the stability & sealing function of many Stem Seals.
PLS Seal technology applied to Valve Stem Seals provides the ideal solution being less sensitive to the pressure differentials while also reducing rubbing friction.
The connsistency in oil film control with these PLS Seals is excellent over long periods of endurance testing.
Transmissions
The requirements for transmission seals can be very different depending on the race series & the design & duty cycle requirements of the transmission.
In the arduous conditions experienced in Rally Raid or World Rally Cars, the normal "oil containment" function of these seals is also dominated by the need for total exclusion of dirt, sand, mud & water. This means that a purpose-designed seal for these 4-Wheel Drive units can be significantly different from the lighter-duty seals normally found in catalogues.
Many of these Rally transmissions also incorporate Active Differentials requiring rotary seals to seal at high pressures & to high RPM. Normally these applications would be met by PLS Seal assemblies incorporating SHP2 Seal elements within welded assemblies.
Similarly, in Front Engine / Rear Wheel Drive configurations. the gearbox tailshaft seal can be subject to the plunging action of the main driveshaft to the rear axle.
For all of these applications our high-efficiency HD2 Seal technology offers a reliable solution to any sealing problems while also offering upto 25% reduction in seal frictional drag.
A known Rear Axle (Rear End) problem area has been with the Pinion Seal (YokeSeal) where the combination of high RPM & high temperature can affect seal reliability. Under such conditions the lower friction & cooler running offered by our PLS Seals contributes to the definitive solving of these problems.
CVJ & Driveshaft Boots
The introduction of our compact CV Joint Seals in the early 1990's has shown many benefits including to the aero specialists.
These compact seals run in close proximity to the Trilobe Joints but are custom-designed to avoid physical contact with the Trilobe parts on extreme angularity.
Uprights/Wheel Hubs
In the early 1990's we pioneered the introduction of effective, low friction, ultra-narrow section seals into Formula 1 & subsequently into LMP / GT & many other race car series where the significant performance benefits could be used.
By halving the seal width, this break-through enabled Designers to reduce the space & weight of the uprights to improve racing performance.
In most cases we employ PLS Seal technology for upright seal applications. However, the introduction of new materials & new seal lip designs has enabled us to offer excellent frictional performance from our KBX type rubber lip seal designs.
KBX seal solutions offer the added benefit of lower costs to those customers where budget constraints demand more cost-effective supplies.
Integrally-Sealed Bearings are used in many modern race car projects & in some cases these are specials & others are production-series automotive hub bearings. The latter are designed for long, reliable life & as such their seals can have higher friction than is desirable in the racing environment.
For any of these bearing applications we can offer custom-designed retrofit VCR / KCR type seals which will give optimum racing performance by reducing seal friction by upto 95%.
For Electric Vehicles & other "Energy-Efficient", "Green", or "Eco-Friendly" projects, we offer the above & other near Zero-Friction options.
Superchargers
The widening use of Roots-style & other blowers with increasing speeds & temperatures, has placed increased demands on the seals.
OEM seal solutions include Mechanical Face Seals, PTFE Lip Seals & regularOil Seals, some of which exhibit lip stability problems & disturbance of the lubrication film under the pressure reversals experienced on engine over-run.
Using specially adapted versions of our TBPX & DBPX Seals we have suucessfully provided an alternative solution to the OEM parts.
Oil / Scavenge Pumps
In the modern race engine there is a need to provide both a regular pressurised oil supply & to evacuate the engine crankcase to reduce "windage". By siamesing these pumps both of these functions can be supplied in one unit by the same shaft drive.
Our TBP2 / TNP Seals & variants provide the ideal solution, running with low friction even at full oil pump pressure & with minimal friction in the scavenge pumps.
Fuel Pumps
Across the range of race engines there is the demand for the fuel pump to be able to handle all of the fuels, Gasoline, Methanol, Ethanol, & Nitro-Methane. Without resorting to prohibitively expensive rubber compounds it is difficult to meet all of those fuel requirements.
However, using our colour coded R013 & R122 compounds we can provide TBP2 / TNP Seal programmes to cover all of technical requirements & without the high pricing issue.
Water Pumps
Many water pumps used on race engines are based on automotive production units using a Mechanical Face Seal.
Specially-designed race engine pumps can be smaller & much more efficient, but require a more compact seal capable of ruinning to higher RPM. Some PTFE Seals used in such applications can exhibit problems due to the under-lip generated temperature dispersing the lubricant film.
For these compact water pumps, GST offer a custom-designed PLS Seal "system", designed to provide the essential elements required to sit between the impellor & the shaft bearing & typically within a width of 8.0mm (0.315").
For older race engines where OEM seals have become obsolete we can offer either a PLS Seal system or alternatively two Mechanical Face Seals solutions :- a) Unitised Seals based on modern production supplies with latest engineering specifications, b) Cassette Seals using modern production seal components but adapted to suit the space envelope within the pump.
Hydraulic Seals
To meet the needs of the various Hydraulic systems in the modern race car we offer a full range of custom-designed & manufactured PTFE Seals. Well-proven Rubber/PTFE seal styles & spring-energised PTFE can be supplied according to the needs of the application.
These include Shock Absorber Seals, Hydraulic Diff Seals, Gear Selection, Systems, Power Steering, etc.
Precision Mouldings
As a further service to our customers, we undertake a full design service for precision rubber mouldings, or alternatively we will supply to the customer drawing.
A comprehensive range of polymers is available for such applications.
