Originally developed in the 1960s, the Forsheda® V-Ring has long been the standard sealing solution in rotary applications that are subject to heavy contamination, successfully preventing ingress of external media and retaining lubricants.
Widely used in sectors including agriculture, mining, transportation, machine tools, renewable energy and general industry, the single-piece elastomer seal continues to demonstrate its longevity due to its easy adaptation to new rotary application challenges.
“The versatility of the Forsheda® V-Ring makes it a cost-effective sealing solution in rotary systems. Its strength lies in effectively sealing in hostile environments where the exclusion of external contaminants while positively retaining lubricants or anti-corrosion agents is critical. It provides an ideal solution that can also withstand shaft misalignment and ensure long-lasting, efficient performance.
“Whether you are working in agriculture or aerospace, you need reliable sealing integrity for your rotary applications that optimizes maintenance and replacement cycles. Our dynamic product testing and benchmarking against alternative products prove that our extensive range of Forsheda® V-Ring sizes, profiles and materials provide unsurpassed reliability and minimize customers’ total cost of ownership,” said Luke Azzopardi, Product Manager at the Trelleborg Sealing Solutions production facility in Malta, one of the sites where the Forsheda® V-Ring is manufactured.
“Test criteria include readings for friction, temperature and wear against a typical counter surface and ozone resistance at different stretch conditions. In benchmarking comparisons, the Forsheda® V-Ring outperforms competitor materials,” Azzopardi adds.
The Forsheda® V-Ring seals directly against counter surfaces like bearings at rotational speeds of up to 12 meters per second with axial and radial support. It features a cut lip that seals against external ingress and internal egress by flexing the seal hinge to maintain contact even at high rotational speeds.
The seal is available in a large range of material types including nitrile rubber (NBR), fluoroelastomer (FKM), ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), ethylene acrylic rubber (AEM), hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) and vinyl methyl silicone (VMQ) in sizes up to and above 50 centimeters for applications such as wind turbines and rotating kilns and mills.
Manufacturing by compression and injection molding processes ensure the high consistency and quality of the Forsheda® V-Ring. Standard sizes as well as customizable profiles are available. Assembly is simple, with in-situ joining through vulcanization or gluing kits and clamping bands for larger sizes. The Forsheda® V-Ring can be used alone or in conjunction with another primary seal.
“As with all Trelleborg solutions, customers are not just purchasing a high-quality product but have access to our long-standing experience and support network. Many Forsheda® V-Ring seals are available quickly as standard products. However, we provide added value by working with customers to produce custom solutions that enable them to optimize their application designs and minimize their costs.
Our research and development capabilities also mean we continuously innovate materials, seal profiles and manufacturing processes for existing as well as new application challenges in markets like renewable energy,” said Azzopardi.