Simulation and experiment on sealing mechanism with rigid-flexible combined seal groove in hub bearing

To solve the failure of hub bearings, a Semi-simplified finite element method (FEM) is proposed to study the sealing performance based on the rigid-flexible combined seal groove. The impact of compression ratio, seal groove geometry, O-ring material hardness and O-ring inner-diameter on Von Mises stress and contact pressure is studied with the FEM. The results indicate that the designed sealing mechanism with the optimized parameters can meet the sealing requirement. The Semi-simplified FEM is effective to study the rigid-flexible combined seal groove. Compression ratio and O-ring material hardness have a vital influence on the sealing performance. The relationship between the maximum operation pressure and the compression ratio is validated with the dynamic oil injection test. •A new FEM for the sealing performance of rigid-flexible combined seal groove was given.•The relationship between the material Shore A hardness and the sealing performance was given.•The dynamic oil injection test rig was designed to study the sealing performance.