Oil Seal Function

Oil seals are used wherever shafts rotate and bearings require lubrication. A seal is a barrier with three basic functions:

• Retaining lubricants and liquids
• Excluding contaminants
• Seal or separate dissimilar fluids or gases.

Precision bearings rely on the oil seal to prevent lubricants from escaping the bearings or a specific area. Components of machines rely on the oil seal to prevent abrasives, corrosive moisture and other harmful contaminants from entering the mechanics of the machine. Separation of fluids and gases may completely rely on the seal to prevent intermixture of two different mediums such as lubricating oil and water.

In a typical application, the oil seal is installed adjacent to a bearing, sealing in or sealing out, as necessary, the various liquids, gases or solids encountered by the particular mechanism.