Suction effect of cavitation in the reverse-spiral-grooved mechanical face seals

Cavitation suction effect is investigated to control the leakage of the mechanical face seals. A face pattern including the forward, reverse spiral grooves and the annular groove is designed. The cavitation suction effect on the leakage and frictional torque are experimentally studied by a developed experimental setup and its mechanism is disclosed by a numerical model. The results show that the low pressure in the cavitation zone is the root of the suction effect and the cavitation is dependent upon the rotational speeds and loads. The zero leakage or reverse suction is achieved by the cavitation suction effect in a range of rotational speed for the fixed load. The cavitation effectively improves the tribological property of the mechanical seals.