Analyzing Pneumatic Cylinder Service Life through Seal Material Selection, Simulation, and Experimentation

Pneumatic cylinders are critical components in automated and semi-automated production systems, often employed to replace manual labor. However, their service life can be limited under demanding conditions involving heavy and repetitive loads. This study investigates the selection of optimal seal ma...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tuan-Anh Bui, Xuan-Nam Tran
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Kragujevac 2025-03-01
Series:Tribology in Industry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tribology.rs/journals/2025/2025-1/2025-1-15.html
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849329159912816640
author Tuan-Anh Bui
Xuan-Nam Tran
author_facet Tuan-Anh Bui
Xuan-Nam Tran
author_sort Tuan-Anh Bui
collection DOAJ
description Pneumatic cylinders are critical components in automated and semi-automated production systems, often employed to replace manual labor. However, their service life can be limited under demanding conditions involving heavy and repetitive loads. This study investigates the selection of optimal seal materials for pneumatic cylinders operating under such conditions to enhance service life and reduce maintenance costs. The performance of pneumatic cylinders is significantly impacted by friction-induced heat and subsequent thermal deformation of the seals, leading to increased wear and lubricant degradation. This research employed a combined simulation and experimental approach. Finite element analysis (FEA) using Ansys software was used to model heat distribution within the cylinder and seal assembly. Experimental testing involved cycling pneumatic cylinders with different seal materials (ordinary rubber, NBR rubber, and PU rubber) under simulated operating conditions. Results indicate that ordinary rubber seals failed after 13,250 cycles due to excessive wear. NBR rubber seals demonstrated improved durability, achieving 162,000 cycles before requiring maintenance. PU rubber seals exhibited the highest durability, exceeding 220,000 cycles without significant degradation. These findings highlight the critical role of material selection in improving the longevity and reliability of pneumatic cylinders in demanding industrial applications. The research provides valuable insights for engineers seeking to optimize pneumatic system design and reduce operational downtime.
format Article
id doaj-art-3272251a97f2417c9b28bf8e9c8e76ed
institution Kabale University
issn 0354-8996
2217-7965
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher University of Kragujevac
record_format Article
series Tribology in Industry
spelling doaj-art-3272251a97f2417c9b28bf8e9c8e76ed2025-08-20T03:47:21ZengUniversity of KragujevacTribology in Industry0354-89962217-79652025-03-0147117418510.24874/ti.1831.12.24.03Analyzing Pneumatic Cylinder Service Life through Seal Material Selection, Simulation, and ExperimentationTuan-Anh Bui0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5630-0884Xuan-Nam Tran1https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3641-9864School of Mechanical Engineering, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi 10000, VietnamSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi 10000, VietnamPneumatic cylinders are critical components in automated and semi-automated production systems, often employed to replace manual labor. However, their service life can be limited under demanding conditions involving heavy and repetitive loads. This study investigates the selection of optimal seal materials for pneumatic cylinders operating under such conditions to enhance service life and reduce maintenance costs. The performance of pneumatic cylinders is significantly impacted by friction-induced heat and subsequent thermal deformation of the seals, leading to increased wear and lubricant degradation. This research employed a combined simulation and experimental approach. Finite element analysis (FEA) using Ansys software was used to model heat distribution within the cylinder and seal assembly. Experimental testing involved cycling pneumatic cylinders with different seal materials (ordinary rubber, NBR rubber, and PU rubber) under simulated operating conditions. Results indicate that ordinary rubber seals failed after 13,250 cycles due to excessive wear. NBR rubber seals demonstrated improved durability, achieving 162,000 cycles before requiring maintenance. PU rubber seals exhibited the highest durability, exceeding 220,000 cycles without significant degradation. These findings highlight the critical role of material selection in improving the longevity and reliability of pneumatic cylinders in demanding industrial applications. The research provides valuable insights for engineers seeking to optimize pneumatic system design and reduce operational downtime.https://www.tribology.rs/journals/2025/2025-1/2025-1-15.htmlpneumatic cylinderheat transferpiston sealwearfinite element analysisexperimental validation
spellingShingle Tuan-Anh Bui
Xuan-Nam Tran
Analyzing Pneumatic Cylinder Service Life through Seal Material Selection, Simulation, and Experimentation
Tribology in Industry
pneumatic cylinder
heat transfer
piston seal
wear
finite element analysis
experimental validation
title Analyzing Pneumatic Cylinder Service Life through Seal Material Selection, Simulation, and Experimentation
title_full Analyzing Pneumatic Cylinder Service Life through Seal Material Selection, Simulation, and Experimentation
title_fullStr Analyzing Pneumatic Cylinder Service Life through Seal Material Selection, Simulation, and Experimentation
title_full_unstemmed Analyzing Pneumatic Cylinder Service Life through Seal Material Selection, Simulation, and Experimentation
title_short Analyzing Pneumatic Cylinder Service Life through Seal Material Selection, Simulation, and Experimentation
title_sort analyzing pneumatic cylinder service life through seal material selection simulation and experimentation
topic pneumatic cylinder
heat transfer
piston seal
wear
finite element analysis
experimental validation
url https://www.tribology.rs/journals/2025/2025-1/2025-1-15.html
work_keys_str_mv AT tuananhbui analyzingpneumaticcylinderservicelifethroughsealmaterialselectionsimulationandexperimentation
AT xuannamtran analyzingpneumaticcylinderservicelifethroughsealmaterialselectionsimulationandexperimentation