When you have a high-value mechanical seal and the state of its part allows it, you can easily repair a mechanical seal and save yourself hundreds or even thousands of dollars in system maintenance. Here are three operations that are carried out when it comes to fixing a damaged mechanical seal.
Rectifying the Friction Faces
The friction faces on a mechanical seal are often damaged the most. They must regain their flatness to get repaired. Lapping is used to doing that. The lapping process entails heavy filing of the faces to remove damaged layers to restore the roughness and flatness.
Lapping hard material faces
For friction faces made with Widia or silicon carbide, if there’s extensive damage, we advise rectifying the lapping to remove the damaged material. However, if there’s irreversible damage, you can use the insertion process that consists of fabricating the steel body by anaerobic resin and thermal interference.
Lapping soft material faces
For friction faces made with antimony, graphite, steel, or PTFE, we recommend remaking the seals from raw materials of solid cylinders. Steel friction faces, you can use an alloy known as estellite. It can be applied through welding and can be mechanized for the lapping process.
After the lapping process is done, it can be inspected with monochromatic light.
Sanitation of Metal Components
Another way to fix a damaged mechanical seal is to restore its metal parts. For that, you’ll need to thoroughly clean the metal parts, bathe them in special soaps and ultrasounds to dissolve all the residue that may have been stuck on the surface, or have corroded.
If the damages are more profound, like scratches, dents, and corrosion, you must sand the parts and project the leftover particles with compressed air. This will give you a uniform finish and an opportunity to use the metal components again.
Replacing Secondary Seals
Lastly, you should replace all the secondary parts of mechanical seals like O-rings, retaining elements, flat gaskets, and more. While you can use the components made with the same materials, we recommend choosing improved materials for better performance.
After all the processes are carried out, you should run a quality check, like a static pressure test.
Seeking Mechanical Seal Repair Services?
Robco of America offers seals and gaskets that are custom designed for your needs. Our products are 100% manufactured, assembled, and tested in the US to help you avoid tariffs. Our product range includes mechanical seals, gaskets, mechanical packing, and heat resistance textiles. Check out our mechanical repair services and contact us by calling 1-800-662-0585 or emailing us at sales@robcoamerica.com.
