Rod Seals

Rod or Gland seals prevent fluid leakage from the past the rod and into the atmosphere. Rod Seals are one of the most critical devices in a hydraulic system and are necessary to ensure pressure is maintained in hydraulic circuit, maximum force can be held on the rod and that fluid is not escaping the system.

In Heavy-Duty applications, a Rod Seal will be paired with a Buffer Seal. A buffer seal is housed in the gland, between the Rod Seal and the Piston and is used to prevent damage to the primary Rod Seal during instances of extreme pressure and pressure spikes.

Modern Rod Seals are designed with a Secondary sealing lip on the inner dimension in addition to the Primary sealing lip. The purpose of the secondary lip is to trap a small pool of hydraulic fluid between the Primary and Secondary lip to help reduce friction on the rod and lubricate the Wiper's sealing lip on the extending stroke, thereby reducing wear on the seal. It also has the benefit of keeping the chromed rod lubricated and shielded from external contaminants which can cause corrosion when exposed to the atmosphere for extended periods of time. On the rod's return stroke, the secondary sealing slip aids in lubricating the Rod Seals primary sealing lip which can often come in contact with an excessively wiped rod due to the effect of the wiper seal removing all rod contaminants and preventing the ingress of foreign media.