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Transaxle output shaft radial lip seals are critical components in front wheel drive cars. The dynamics of the shaft, due to design restrictions in the transaxle, are the most demanding of any automotive radial lip seal application. The materials and designs currently in use in these applications have been lacking in meeting some of the criteria necessary for low warranty performance. This paper documents investigations into two possible improvements in this technology: a plasticized ethylene acrylic compound and a hydrogenated nitrile compound, which, when combined with improved sealing lip designs, hold potential for warranty reductions in these applications.

To advance the present state-of-the-art of testing oil lubricated truck wheel hub seals (hereafter referred to as oil bath seals) from fairly simple tests which allow static offset in the radial direction towards real-time road simulation, an investigative test development project was initiated. Combining the know-how and resources of manufacturers of oil bath seals and servohydraulic test equipment, a more realistic approach to seal testing was to be developed. Of importance to the project was the successful development of a five degree of freedom motion transducer used to measure the relative motion of the hub vs. the spindle in the seal location. Conducting extensive proving ground measurements and analyzing the data allowed the generation of a test sequence typical for the seal application. A special computer controlled servohydraulic test machine was designed and built which is capable of real-time simulation of the five degrees of motion acquired on the road.