Archive for June, 2011
Simrit Showcases Suite of Silicone Solutions at the 49th International Paris Air Show |
Jun 1120 |
LE BOURGET, France, June 20, 2011 – Simrit, a leading global supplier of manufactured products for the aerospace industry, will showcase its range of silicone material solutions during the 49th International Paris Air Show held in Le Bourget, France from June 20 to 26. The aerospace-specific material portfolio, which includes high-temperature, low-density and fireproof silicone materials, offers customers innovative, low cost alternatives to current solutions.
“Silicone is an ideal material for the aerospace industry due to its ability to withstand extreme high and low temperatures, environmental hazards and common aerospace fluids,” said Vinay Nilkanth, vice president global sales aerospace, Simrit. “Simrit is able to combine silicone’s unique advantages with our extensive knowledge and capabilities in material development to create customized solutions that often times exceed specifications and customer expectations.”
Simrit’s latest material innovation is a vulcanized, high-temperature silicone rubber material used in a variety of aircraft applications, including grommets. The material is splash resistant to deterioration when exposed to typical aerospace fluids and suitable for a temperature range of minus 55°C to 260°C (intermittent to 300°C). With a minimum tensile strength of 600 pounds per square inch, the material also demonstrates excellent elongation (350 percent) and a Die B tear strength (45 pounds per inch).
Also included in the portfolio is Simrit’s proprietary low-density silicone material. Developed as a cost-effective solution that provides superior weight reduction for global aerospace customers, the AMS 3302 and AMS 3303 material offers a 15 to 20 percent weight savings over similar materials. With a specific gravity of less than one, it is an ideal solution for numerous sealing applications, including airframe seals, without sacrificing other physical properties.
For environments requiring fireproof solutions (2000°F / 1094°C at 15 minutes), Simrit has developed a fire barrier silicone material that does not require expensive fabric layups, such as ceramic and aramid. Providing a cost-effective solution with maximum value, the seal can be manufactured without fabric with a minimum thickness of .250 inches (6.35 mm) down to 0.032 inches (.81 mm) by utilizing one layer of fiberglass fabric.
Additional information about Simrit’s silicone solutions will be available at the Simrit booth (#C19) located in hall 3 at the 49th International Paris Air Show held in Le Bourget, France from June 20 to 26 or visit www.simrit.com.
Simrit is part of Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies and offers an extensive portfolio of precision-manufactured products for the aerospace, agriculture, appliance, construction, energy, fluid power, mechanical power generation, mechanical power transmission and recreation markets. Simrit’s global sales exceed $1.3 billion. For more information, visit the Simrit website at www.simrit.com.
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Simrit Displays Aerospace Engine Sealing Portfolio at 49th International Paris Air Show |
Jun 1120 |
LE BOURGET, France, June 20, 2011 – To showcase its extensive engineering and advanced technology expertise, Simrit will demonstrate its portfolio of aerospace engine sealing solutions during the 49th International Paris Air Show held in Le Bourget, France from June 20 to 26. The product line – consisting of brush, segmented, compact mechanical and ACTISEAL® seals – was specially developed to meet the precise needs of several aerospace applications, including engines, rockets, and space vehicles and equipment.
The demanding operating conditions encountered in today’s gas turbine engines, along with increasing environmental concerns, have created the need for an alternative to conventional labyrinth seals. As a result, brush seals were developed to accommodate the radial movements of the dynamic rotor shaft due to the flexibility of their bristles. Additionally, the free length and angle of the bristles, as well as the wire diameter, can be customized to the given application to optimize seal stiffness, resulting in low wear and leakage, and a potential reduction in fuel consumption.
Designed for gas sealing applications primarily in jet aircraft engines and gas turbines, Simrit’s circumferential segmented seals are ideal for high-performance equipment where large axial shaft movements, space requirements, weight reduction and / or efficiency are major concerns. Containing a set of segmented carbon rings that contact the shaft (or runner) to form a circumferential dynamic seal, they also serve a wide range of applications in rotating machinery, such as compressors and blowers.
Compact mechanical seals are stationary, “face” type seals designed for a variety of applications, including aircraft engine accessory gearboxes and main shafts, hydraulic pumps, starters, compressors, industrial generators and other high-speed rotating machinery. Uniquely, Simrit offers custom-engineered seal configurations, as well as previously developed and proven materials and designs to meet customers’ varying needs.
Simrit’s static metal ACTISEAL seals are used between surfaces that have little or no movement to prevent the passage, flow or leakage of a gas or fluid. Offering a substantial track record of success in solving leakage problems, the ACTISEAL line consists of three solutions, ACTISEAL–C, ACTISEAL–E and ACTISEAL–W, to match varying customer needs.
Additional information about Simrit’s jet engine seals will be available at the Simrit booth (#C19) located in hall 3 at the 49th International Paris Air Show held in Le Bourget, France from June 20 to 26 or visit www.simrit.com.
Simrit is part of Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies and offers an extensive portfolio of precision-manufactured products for the aerospace, agriculture, appliance, construction, energy, fluid power, mechanical power generation, mechanical power transmission and recreation markets. Simrit’s global sales exceed $1.3 billion. For more information, visit the Simrit website at www.simrit.com.
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Simrit’s Exceeding Limits, Part 4: Media |
Jun 1114 |
Oils, greases, gases as well as aggressive media take their toll on seals. Through interdisciplinary cooperation, Simrit has developed new materials which are suitable for increasingly popular fully synthetic lubricants. Below is part four in the four part Exceeding Limits series.
The star among FKMs
When you are the record holder it can be hard to push your own limits higher once again. However, this is exactly what Simrit has done with the material innovation Wear-Resistant FKM. Simrit developed a particularly hard-wearing fluoroelastomer (FKM) for use with synthetic engine oils (e.g. polyalkylene glycol/PAG) which clearly outperforms Simrit’s FKM 585—already the benchmark for drive applications.
Synthetic oils, particularly polyglycols, which are now increasingly used in units for drive technology—for example in industrial engines—can be highly aggressive media for seals in various application areas. That is why the two partners in the tribological system, the shaft and even more so the radial shaft seal, have to cross previous limits if a service life of more than 20,000 operating hours (as demanded by many drive technology manufacturers) is to be achieved.
Development processes according to Six Sigma
Such demands on service life cannot be fulfilled with synthetic oils and, what has been until now the leading material, FKM 585.
It was obvious that a whole string of parameters, mostly to do with a reduction of wear, had to be optimized in order to reach such an ambitious development goal. The basic research examined a large number of parameters, but primarily the effect which compound ingredients have on wear and tear. Wear behavior and related tightness of a sealing material are important characteristics and require a tailor-made polymer structure. This is why Simrit decided to act in close cooperation with one of the leading polymer suppliers to work on different optimization areas.
The general conditions of the method were also clear: all steps within the development and control process—including the test for process ability, abrasion and tightness—were to be designed and evaluated according to the Six Sigma quality principle.
Distance to competitors has been increased yet again
Success soon followed: The best results were achieved in connection with a particular polymer. A new mixing method allows the material to be processed in injection molding technology which means that the new material can in many cases also be used in existing tooling. Wear-Resistant FKM clearly extends previous limits: In highly demanding dynamic screening tests in polyglycol oils Simmerrings made from polyalkylene glycols (PAG) show a contact surface width of less than 0.25 mm. This provides manufacturers of drive technology units with tangible advantages: Longer service life and good medium resistance in synthetic oils. The already poor performance of other available FKM materials in comparison to Simrit’s current standard material FKM 585 means that the distance to other market players achieved by the new material Wear-Resistant FKM will be even greater.
For more information visit: www.simrit.com/exceeding-limits/media.
Simrit E454 O-ring Sealing Systems Continue to Solve Critical Problems in Commercial Aircraft Hydraulic Systems |
Jun 1113 |
ELGIN, Ill., June 13, 2011 – Customer and testing data has proven that Simrit’s E454 EPDM (ethylene-propylene rubber) O-ring sealing systems outperform competitive O-rings in critical commercial aircraft hydraulic systems. Manufactured to the highest possible quality and extensively tested, the phosphate ester fluid hydraulic sealing systems are expected to perform flawlessly for years in primary and secondary flight controls, and braking systems of commercial aircrafts.
“Based on our test results and simulated component tests, we knew that the E454 material was a quantum leap over competitive materials when we commercialized it in 2006,” said Dr. Robert W. Keller, materials development manager, Simrit. “Today, our E454 compound not only meets the demanding requirements of NAS-1613 Rev. 5 in all commercially available phosphate ester hydraulic fluids, but it significantly outperforms competitive materials in both simulated and actual application systems.”
The hydraulically boosted primary and secondary flight controls are critical to modern commercial aviation, as they provide the basic abilities of the aircraft to fly, turn, climb, descend and stop. As a result, all aspects of the systems – including the sealing technologies – are vital to passenger safety.
“To ensure the consistency and quality of the product, we only manufacture the E454 compound at our Santa Ana, California AS9100 and Nadcap-certified facility,” said Vinay Nilkanth, vice president of global sales, aerospace, Simrit. “This allows us to manufacture the highest-quality products for our customers’ crucial needs.”
As a result of its superior composition and performance, several major commercial aircraft manufacturers and suppliers have chosen the material over its competitors. As an example, Simrit’s E454 O-rings were chosen exclusively by a major manufacturer of flight control hydraulic power units and were evaluated with the latest Type V (AS1241) phosphate ester hydraulic fluids in a wide body commercial aircraft. After several thousand hours of service and several hundred complete flight cycles, the Simrit E454 O-rings were examined and found to be in “as new” condition in terms of dimensions and physical properties. Competitive O-rings had shown issues with wear and compression set under similar circumstances.
Additionally, a major manufacturer of components for phosphate ester hydraulic flight controls switched all of their components to Simrit E454 O-rings to solve leakage issues on a variety of commercial airliners. The Simrit O-rings were selected after the competitive O-rings were not able to perform despite several re-designs and two years of trial-and-error evaluations.
Additional information about Simrit’s E454 O-rings and sealing systems will be available at the Simrit booth (#C19) located in Hall 3 during the 49th International Paris Air Show held in Le Bourget, France from June 20 to 26.
Simrit is part of Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies and offers an extensive portfolio of precision-manufactured products for the aerospace, agriculture, appliance, construction, energy, fluid power, mechanical power generation, mechanical power transmission and recreational markets. Simrit’s global sales exceed $1.3 billion. For more information, visit the Simrit website at www.simrit.com.
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Simrit Develops Solutions for Abrasion and Friction Issues in Aerospace Applications |
Jun 117 |
ELGIN, Ill., June 7, 2011 – Simrit today announced that it will showcase its material and coating innovations that address abrasion and friction issues in critical aerospace applications during the 49th International Paris Air Show. Simrit, a global supplier of customized material and technology solutions for the aerospace industry, will demonstrate its new low-temperature polyurethane material and low-friction coating process during the show that runs from June 20 to 26 in Le Bourget, France.
“Our friction and abrasion solutions offer reduced friction and greater abrasion resistance for lower cost while providing improved sealing versus other solutions,” said Vinay Nilkanth, vice president global sales aerospace, Simrit.
To address abrasion concerns associated with such things as aerodynamic seals, Simrit developed the low-temperature polyurethane solution. Offering a brittle point of minus 59°C, this 70 durometer, high-tensile material has a tensile strength of 4,000 pounds per square inch. The Tear Die B (300 pixels per inch) material also demonstrates superior adhesion and bonding to substrates and elongation in excess of 400 percent.
During the show, Simrit will also showcase its low friction / low static coating for door seals and low pressure dynamic seals, as well as applications where “nipping” occurs. The new coating dramatically reduces surface friction and stiction to silicone rubber. The coating offers excellent cohesion to silicone substrates and release properties, and can be easily applied to finished components. Unlike traditional coatings, Simrit’s solution does not affect the “sealability” of the silicone surface and can be incorporated for minimal cost on existing components.
As an example, an emergency exit door seal was nipping on closure due to friction. The solution was to add the coating and this successfully eliminated the nipping, but did not reduce the sealability.
For additional information about Simrit’s abrasion and friction solutions, visit the Simrit booth (#C19) located in hall 3 during the 49th International Paris Air Show or visit www.simrit.com.
Simrit is part of Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies and offers an extensive portfolio of precision-manufactured products for the aerospace, agriculture, appliance, construction, energy, fluid power, mechanical power generation, mechanical power transmission and recreational markets. Simrit’s global sales exceed $1.3 billion. For more information, visit the Simrit website at www.simrit.com.
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Simrit’s Exceeding Limits, Part 3: Motion |
Jun 116 |
Despite the fact that shaft rotation and torque speeds in cylinders increase, it is expected that the time between maintenance work on the units also extends. Simrit resolves this discrepancy through sealing solutions which offer up to 50% friction reduction. Below is part three in the four part Exceeding Limits series.
Near frictionless movement
The increasing popularity of pneumatic drives is partly due to continuous development of sealing materials and seal designs. The latest example—which contributes to this trend—is the Low Friction Piston Seal TR from Simrit. The innovative design of this piston seal prevents radial compression of the seal profile. Friction and wear are therefore greatly minimized. If drives are to be highly efficient and reliable, it is necessary to minimize movement of mass and thereby minimize friction losses.
If, however, the individual components are designed to be smaller, they become more compact and more susceptible to deviations of the operating and manufacturing parameters. In the case of profile reductions, this will disproportionally increase radial forces due to radial compression.
Highly reduced stick-slip effect
The dynamic sealing function of the Low Friction Piston Seal TR is assumed by a sealing area with a large radius. The radial force required for this is built up by the design interference alone. This eliminates the radial compression of the seal cross section which, in turn, minimizes friction and wear and practically eliminates stick-slip effects.
The static sealing force of the Low Friction Piston Seal TR is generated separately and optimized by the pressure from the concentric sealing edges on the front face of the installation groove alone. The Low Friction Piston Seal TR underwent extensive testing in Simrit’s testing facility. Overflow tests were carried out under a range of conditions, for example with varied housing tolerances in relation to a high pressure area. Elaborate tests, involving extreme loads and operating conditions such as minimal traversing speeds and rapid pressure changes, confirmed the functional advantages compared to traditional seals.
Very low friction values
The rest results provided a number of record values: Simrit’s Low Friction Piston Seal TR seals reliably even under rapid pressure changes and with counter pressure. In service life tests it achieves 15 million cycles without any noticeable wear. The new seal also requires only minimal housing space and its sealing function does not depend on piston clearance and radial piston movement.
Without a doubt the most remarkable record, however, was achieved with regard to friction. When compared to traditional seals both breakaway torque and stroke friction are up to 50% lower, due to the innovative design.
For more information visit: www.simrit.com/exceeding-limits/motion.