Lubrication film flow control by oriented dimples for liquid lubricated mechanical seals

Apart from the function such as micro-hydrodynamic bearings, lubrication reservoir and debris traps, surface textures can be used to control the lubricant׳s flow. In this paper, the leak control feasibility is numerically validated by processing some different oriented dimples on the mechanical seals, including the elliptical, diamond, triangular and rectangular shapes. The streamline-Upwind/Petrov–Galerkin (SUPG) finite element method is used to solve the Reynolds equation by considering mass conservation. Parametric study is performed to analyze the effect of the geometric parameter on the sealing performance such as the flow rate and the load-carrying capability. The reverse pumping capability is compared among these oriented dimples. •Reynolds equation with mass conservation was solved by SUPG finite element method.•Reverse pumping capability attributes to the absorption, transportation and release of the oriented dimples.•Oriented rectangular dimple gives rise to the highest reverse pumping capability.•Lubrication film flow control can be realized by proper design on the shape of dimples.