Solutions for the mining, mineral

processing and cement industries

Machined seals
2
Sealing solutions customized for
your system performance
SKF is a supplier of top quality, highly reliable products to the mining, mineral processing and cement industries.
Customers benefit from SKF’s comprehensive field experience and extensive knowledge in sealing technology.

Optimized sealing
solutions
SKF helps customers achieve their
strategic goals:

• Improved safety at work

• Increased productivity
• Reduced effects of contamination
• Increased service life
• Reduced Total Cost of Operation (TCO)
• Reduced consumption of operating media
and energy consumption
• Increased Mean Time Between Failures
(MTBF)

SKF provides the most flexible options for

the entire mining, mineral processing and
cement industries: sealing solutions and
Advanced Engineered Plastic Parts (AEPP)
for wet, abrasive and contaminating • Just-in-time availability of standard seals • Gaskets for flange connections
environments. and customized sealing solutions, • Static seals and O-rings
• Moulded seals for higher volume orders. • Advanced engineered plastic parts

Competences Customers benefit from flexibility and short Finding the most suitable sealing solution is
SKF is a leading supplier of standard and delivery times for customized seals. SKF a complex and rewarding task. SKF’s experi-
custom-engineered sealing solutions. machined seals are always made from high- ence shows that a sealing system can always
Based on many years of experience, performance materials and cover the follow- be optimized.
especially in the area of mining machinery, ing product groups:
SKF is able to support the industries with
• Hydraulic and pneumatic sealing systems
• On-site solution analysis, • Sealing solutions for rotary distributors
• Application engineering, and joints
• Material development for high speed • Radial shaft seals
solutions, increased wear resistance, • V-rings
reduced friction etc.
• Integrated solutions consisting of seals
and advanced engineered plastic parts,

3
The right sealing solution
for extreme conditions
Whenever reduced maintenance costs, increased productivity or process reliability are important –
SKF is there with improved machined sealing solutions for the mining, mineral processing and cement industries.

The following points are essential Machine design Improvement potentials

when selecting the right seal for the harsh The operating fluid determines the seal Finally, the most important indicators for
operating conditions of the mining, mineral selection in rotating as well as in recipro- possible improvements are existing seal
processing and cement industries. cating equipment. performance and reasons for seal failure and
In rotating equipment, the machine can /or necessary seal replacement.
Operating environment be lubricated with grease, oil-, or oil-air. The seal’s performance can affect
The purpose of sealing is to keep operating In a reciprocating application, the operating productivity, process reliability, MTBF and
fluids or lubricants in the system and/or con- fluid can be hydraulic oil, water-based fluid maintenance schedules. Optimizing a
taminants out. or compressed air. sealing solution can be a complex task.
Aggressive contamination can be a con- Shaft misalignment must be considered SKF applies its experience to customers’
cern. Abrasive particles, cooling fluids and when choosing the sealing lip design for ro- specific operating environment to jointly
emulsions may affect the sealed machine tating applications. Shaft-To-Bore Misalign- identify system optimization and cost saving
part. ment (STBM) and Dynamic Run-Out (DRO) potentials (in terms of TCO) generated by
are also relevant. For large sized reciprocat- an optimized sealing solution.
Fluids ing machines, the rod misalignment may
Fluids affect the sealing system in many also be of concern. The structural condition
ways. The sealing material has to be com- of the seal’s counterface strongly affects the
patible with internal or external fluids. These sealing performance.
could be lubricants, coolants, operating Housing design and its structural condi-
media in a hydraulic system, but also auxil- tion determine the seal design. Open hous-
iary cleaning or assembly media. ings require a self-retaining sealing solution.
Closed housings provide a perfect fit for
Operating parameters elastomeric seals. SKF supplies customized
The impact of type, speed and duration of seals for standard and non-standard hous-
the motion on the sealing lip is critical. Mo- ing dimensions.
tion can be linear, rotating or pivoting, con-
tinuous or discontinuous. Operating pres-
sures as well as possible system and
application related pressure peaks are also
to be considered.
Elevated temperatures may also affect
the seal and its performance. In most cases,
media temperature and motion speed de-
termine the actual temperature at the seal-
ing lip, but an elevated ambient temperature
can also affect the performance of the seal.

4
Machined seals concept

SKF is a leading player in the global custom-made machined seals market, specializing in complete sealing
services for the mining, mineral processing and cement industries. SKF serves many countries worldwide with
its global sales network.

Standard seals Customized seals Custom engineered seals

• Seals in standard dimensions • Standard seal profiles modified to specific • Application engineering service
• Extensive range of materials requirements • Customer related designed sealing
• On-time availability • Virtually unlimited dimensions solutions
• Extensive range of materials • Virtually unlimited dimensions and
• On-time availability (approx. 24 hours) profiles
• Extensive range of materials
• Short delivery time

Due to the flexible production process, SKF Advanced engineered plastic parts Other business and services
can supply standard and special seals in cus- Turned, milled and moulded parts made of Maintenance and repair of hydraulic and
tomized dimensions and high performance high performance plastic materials. pneumatic cylinders; gaskets and products
sealing materials up to 4 000 mm in diam- manufactured using water-jet cutting
eter as one piece. Large seals with diameters technology.
up to 10 000 mm and above are assembled
using a special welding technique. SKF’s ma-
chined seals centres provide global availabil-
ity with truly local service,
being very close to the end customer. In
some selected locations you can also find:

5
6
Great variety of
sealing applications
SKF provides a large variety of customized seals for machines in the mining, mineral processing and cement
industries, covering hydraulic seal kits with piston, rod and wiper seals, rotary seals, multi-lip seals and
custom engineered solutions for a great variety of applications.

Underground mining Processing

• Continuous miners and longwall shearers • Wash plant, pumps, gearboxes
• Roof support systems • Ball and SAG mill trunnion and gearbox
• Shuttle cars drive systems
• Specialised personnel and service vehicles • Bulk handling loading and unloading
• Roof bolting systems systems
• Drilling units • Bucket wheel hydraulic and drive systems
• Conveyor systems

SKF offers time-saving

Opencast mining retrofit split element
• Dragline hydraulic and mechanical sealing solutions for:
systems
• Power shovel hydraulic and mechanical • Gearboxes and drive units
systems • Pumps
• Loader hydraulic systems • Difficult access sealing
• Haul vehicles • Worn shaft/rod sealing
• Haul vehicles hydraulic systems • Ball and SAG mill trunnion and gearbox
• Haul and mine roads maintenance units drive systems (where lengthy strip down
• Bulldozers is a costly problem)
• Bulldozers hydraulic systems and track pin
sealing
• Conveyor systems
• Conveyor system drive and tail units
• Belt scraper systems
• Crushers
• Breaker and crushing units
• Workshop and maintenance equipment
• Drills

7
 Solutions for Seals for large Seals for ball and
hauler strut cylinders diameter applications SAG mills
When transporting molten slag, tempera- In mining and mineral processing, disman- The harsh working environment of ball and
tures outside the slag pot can be in excess of tling large scale machinery for the replace- SAG mills and their size provide a challeng-
120 °C. ment of seals is time consuming and related ing dilemma. The seal must provide superior
The strut cylinders are located very close downtime costs are considerable. oil inclusion functions as well as being able
to the slag pot and therefore the wiper is ex- to exclude foreign materials from the bear-
posed to these high temperatures. Welding large diameter polyurethane ing chamber, even during wash-down.
The replacement of the split brass wiper, seals
retained with a wave spring, with a one piece SKF has developed a procedure that allows Trunnion seal upgrade
PEEK wiper greatly decreased the incidence welding of large diameter polyurethane seals A special engineered double lip seal, also
of ingress as well as simplifies the installa- on site maintaining the full sealing capacity. available in triple lip configuration for oil in-
tion. By introducing the appropriate sealing For SKF, installing replacement seals is a clusion, is a split seal designed to minimize
profile in combination with high performing common process that allows customers to downtime. G-ECOPUR provides long sealing
materials (SKF Ecopaek), SKF achieved a keep production downtime to a minimum. life as well as reduced wear on the trunnion
much simpler installation process as well as surface. The purging facility incorporated
improved wiping resulting in a significantly Split seal assemblies into the seal allows the removal of contami-
extended service life. Access to seals is often limited, especially nants and therefore further increases the
in gearboxes, as the drive unit and coupling seal life.
must be removed to facilitate a seal replace- This seal design has a proven track record
ment . in remote mine sites in some of the harshest
By retrofitting with a customized seal conditions in the world.
made of SKF Ecorubber-2 (FKM), replace-
ments can be completed approximately in an
hour. Furthermore, the unique seal design
features have extended seal life compared to
standard rotary seals.

8
Cement and mining process

Cement
1 High temperature
2 Large diameter seals
3 Wear and reliability

Mining
4 Sliding speed
5 Functionality
6 Pressure

9
 Seals for rear Bearing seal for Seals for lift and tilt
suspension cylinders coal mining conveyor cylinders
The mining industry can provide a wide
range of adverse and varied conditions,
guide wheels The extremely adverse and varied conditions
experienced by haul trucks on mine sites all
sometimes unexpected and unforeseen. Stock piling and retrieving coal is a necessary over the world can put standard seals and
Haul truck suspension cylinders are de- function carried out using a stacker/re- sealing materials to the test. SKF offers a
signed to operate at relatively slow speeds claimer. Loading coal onto a conveyor belt broad range of sealing materials and profiles
and full strokes when carrying a full payload. requires a scraper to remove the wet coal that are suitable for the coldest winter condi-
But when the trucks are empty, the length of dust from the belt. The belt scraper is guided tions, e.g. in Canada, as well as for the high
the stroke is greatly reduced and the speed by wheels, which are subjected to very humidity experienced such as in south
greatly increased depending on road surface aggressive conditions. east Asia.
conditions. The original solution consisting of a laby- SKF is able to analyze causes of prema-
The shorter stroke, combined with faster rinth seal and a rotary shaft seal failed due ture seal failure and design and manufacture
speed, results in less lubrication, higher fric- to coal dust, causing high wear and bearing a solution with minimal downtime and max-
tion and, ultimately, failure. By modifying the failures. SKF provides a sealing solution to imum performance, especially extended
standard S03-P profile and introducing the replace the standard seals arrangement. service life of the seals.
S-ECOPUR friction modified polyurethane, By using a specially designed seal made of
SKF was able to significantly extend the ser- the abrasion resistant H-ECOPUR and in-
vice life of the seal. cluding a wear strip made of SKF Ecotex as a
counterface for the wiper segment, only mi-
nor changes to the existing seal housing
were necessary. The bearing life was ex-
tended from 6 weeks (worst case) to approx-
imately 2 years with minimal maintenance
required. Based on the seal geometry, easy
regreasing of the bearings could also be
achieved.

10
Optimized for your
system performance
With more than 100 years of experience, SKF provides advanced sealing solutions and meets the
requirements of applications and processes for the mining, mineral processing and cement industries.
This focus has led to the development of new, reliable products and materials specifically engineered,
designed and optimized for your system performance.

After a detailed study of the customer’s The unique SKF total service approach pro-
operation and needs, SKF will check its vides a solution with considerable advantag-
comprehensive list of standard products to es over conventional arrangements. With
find a suitable solution; alternatively, SKF the SKF SEAL JET system, SKF supplies
can engineer customized solutions. seals in a wide range of different sizes and
offers cost-effective sealing solutions on
demand – without any tooling costs or
delays.

11
Standard machined seal profiles

Wipers
A01-A A01-B A02-A A02-B A02-I A03-A A04-A A04-B A05-A A05-B A05-I A06-A A07-A

A08-A A08-B A09-A A10-A A11-A A11-I A12-A A12-B A13-A A25-F A26-F A27-F

Piston seals

K01-P K01-PE K01-R K01-RE K02-P K02-PD K02-R K02-RD K03-P K03-F K03-S K04-P K04-PD

K05-P K05-R K06-P K06-R K07-P K07-F K08-E K08-ES K08-D K08-DS K08-P K09-N K09-H

K09-D K09-F K1012-T K1012-M K1315-T K16-A K16-B K17-P K17-R K19-F K20-R K21-P K22-P

K22-R K23-N K23-H K23-D K23-F K24-P K32-P K35-P

Rod seals

S01-P S01-R S02-P S02-PD S02-R S02-RD S02-S S03-P S03-F S03-S S04-P S04-PD S05-P

S05-R S06-P S06-R S07-P S07-F S08-P S08-PE S08-R S09-E S09-ES S09-D S09-DS S09-P

S1012-T S1012-M S1315-T S16-A S16-B S17-P S17-R S18-P S18-R S19-F S20-R S21-P S22-P

S22-R S24-P S2527-F S2931-F S32-P S35-P

Rotary seals

R01-P R01-R R01-AF R01-AS R01-F R02-P R02-R R03-P R03-R R04-A R05-A R06-P R06-R

R07-P R07-R R08-A R09-F R09-FS R10-F R10-FS R11-F R12-F R13 R14 R15-P R16

R19-F R20-P R30-A R35-A

Guide and
backup rings
F01 F02 F03 F04 F05 F06 F07 F08

ST08 ST09 ST10 ST11 ST12 ST13

O-rings and
static seals
R13 R14 R15-P R16 S20-R S35-P K20-R K35-P R12-F R20-P R35-A

12
Materials for the mining, mineral
processing and cement industries
The proper selection of sealing materials for a specific application is a key factors with regards to safety
compliance. SKF has developed a vast range of high quality sealing materials to meet those demands.

Polyurethanes Elastomers PTFE and its

Polyurethanes offers outstanding mechani- Elastomers or rubbers are the most fre- compounds
cal properties, low compression set, best quently used materials for seals and gaskets
abrasion resistance and highest strength of in low to medium pressure applications with Where elastomers do not provide sufficient
the elastomeric sealing materials. good chemical resistance. chemical or temperature resistance, top
performance SKF Ecoflon (PTFE) compound
ECOPUR (TPU) offers high compatibility SKF Ecorubber-1 (NBR) is most common materials with high chemical and tempera-
with mineral / synthetic oils and greases. for general applications. ture resistance are suitable.

H-ECOPUR (TPU) is a hydrolysis resistant SKF Ecorubber-H (HNBR) offers higher

material. Specially used with water-based temperature and abrasion resistance than
Thermoplastics and
hydraulic fluids. NBR. special materials
S-ECOPUR (TPU) is a self-lubricated SKF Ecorubber-2 (FKM / FPM) offers Special hard grade materials with outstand-
thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) higher temperature, chemical and abrasion ing wear resistance for mechanical applica-
with solid lubricants optimized to reduce resistance and is usually formulated to tions or anti-extrusion components to con-
friction and improve wear resistance. This meet FRAS requirements. trol extreme pressure, like SKF Ecopaek
material is therefore best suited for most se- (PEEK) or SKF Ecotal (POM) are available.
vere applications in water hydraulics as well SKF Ecosil (MVQ) offers excellent chemical
as in non-lubricated pneumatics. resistance.

X-ECOPUR (TPU) provides outstanding

friction and wear properties as well as high
pressure resistance. Therefore the material
is well suited for the use as a composite seal,
for wipers working in heavy-duty applica-
tions as well as for engineered plastic parts.

13
Sealing materials

Polyurethanes

SKF has developed many high performance sealing materials. In particular, the polyurethanes have outstanding mechanical properties which outperform
many other elastomeric sealing materials (like rubbers). Possible application limits are chemical resistance and in some cases, very high temperatures.
For further information, please contact SKF competence centres for machined seals.

Material Colour Properties

ECOPUR (TPU/TPE–U, 95 Shore A) Green Recommended for hydraulic applications, good chemical resistance

ECOPUR LD (CPU, 95 Shore A) Green Cast polyurethane elastomer (CPU) for large diameter seals with
similar properties to ECOPUR

G-ECOPUR (CPU, 95 Shore A) Red Hydrolysis-resistant cast polyurethane elastomer (CPU) with
similar properties to H-ECOPUR.

H-ECOPUR (TPU/TPE–U, 95 Shore A) Red Outstanding chemical resistance against water-based fluids

S-ECOPUR (TPU/TPE–U, 95 Shore A) Grey/black Outstanding sliding performance, similar mechanical

and chemical properties to H-ECOPUR

T-ECOPUR (TPU/TPE–U, 95 Shore A) Blue Low temperature grade, excellent cold flexibility, limited
chemical resistance

X-ECOPUR (TPU, 57 Shore D) Dark green Increased pressure and extrusion resistance, recommended
for composite seals, chemical resistance similar to ECOPUR

X-ECOPUR H (TPU, 60 Shore D) Dark red Increased pressure and extrusion resistance, recommended for
composite seals, chemical resistance similar to H-ECOPUR

X-ECOPUR S (TPU, 57 Shore D) Dark grey Increased pressure and extrusion resistance, recommended
for composite seals, chemical resistance similar to H-ECOPUR, outstanding
sliding performance

Elastomers

High quality rubber standard grades with the commonly known features of elastomeric materials, good chemical resistance,
but limitations in mechanical properties. For further information, please contact SKF competence centres for machined seals.

Material Colour Properties

SKF Ecoflas (TFE/P, 83 Shore A) Black Fluoro-elastomer with outstanding resistance to hot water and steam

SKF Ecorubber-H (HNBR, 85 Shore A) Black Standard grade with good mechanical and chemical properties

SKF Ecorubber-1 (NBR, 85 Shore A) Black Standard grade, good chemical resistance

SKF Ecorubber-2 (FKM, FPM, 85 Shore A) Brown Standard grade with good chemical resistance

SKF Ecorubber-3 (EPDM, 85 Shore A) Black Standard grade with good mechanical properties,recommended
for steam injection

SKF Ecosil (MVQ, 85 Shore A) Reddish brown Silicone rubber with high resistance against weathering, ozone and ageing

14
 Thermoplastics and special materials 1)

Thermoplastics and special glassfibre reinforced materials with outstanding mechanical properties.
For further information, please contact SKF competence centres for machined seals.

Material Colour Properties

SKF Ecomid (PA) Black Standard grade with good mechanical properties (glass filled grades for
increased pressure resistance are also available)
NOTE: Not to be used in water or moist environments.

SKF Ecopaek (PEEK) Cream/black Exceptional mechanical, chemical and thermal resistance

SKF Ecotal (POM) Black Standard grade with good mechanical properties (glass filled grades for
increased pressure resistance are also available)

SKF Ecotex (fabric reinforced material Light orange High wear and pressure resistance
on polyester resin base)

PTFE and its compounds 2)

Top performance PTFE compound materials with highest chemical and temperature resistance, optimized for sealing applications.
For further information, please contact SKF competence centres for machined seals.

Material Colour Properties

SKF Ecoflon 1 (PTFE, virgin) White High chemical resistance

SKF Ecoflon 2 (PTFE, 15% glass, 5% MOS2) Grey Good mechanical properties

SKF Ecoflon 3 (PTFE, 40% bronze) Bronze Good tribological properties, high pressure resistance

SKF Ecoflon 4 (PTFE, 25% carbon) Black High wear and pressure resistance

SKF Ecoflon 5 (PTFE, modified) White Unfilled modified grade to increased pressure and creep resistance

1) SKF also offers a wide range of individual thermoplastic materials specially designed for guide rings, backup rings, etc..
2) SKF also offers a wide range of organic and inorganic compounds, such as PTFE + glass, PTFE + graphite (steam injection),
PTFE + EKONOL, PTFE + PI, PTFE + PEEK, etc..

15
Material properties

Polyurethanes

hydrolysis resistant
low temperature
cast – hydrolysis

solid lubricants

solid lubricants
X-ECOPUR H

X-ECOPUR S
ECOPUR LD

H-ECOPUR
G-ECOPUR

S-ECOPUR

X-ECOPUR
T-ECOPUR

hard grade

hard grade

hard grade
hydrolysis
ECOPUR

resistant

resistant

grade
Properties Standard Unit

TPU CPU CPU TPU TPU TPU TPU TPU TPU

Standard colour Green Green Red Red Grey/ Blue Dark Dark Dark
black green red grey

Hardness DIN ISO 7619 Shore A 95 ±21) 95 ±21) 95 ±21) 95 ±21) 95 ±21) 95 ±21) 97 ±21) 97 ±21) 97 ±21)

Hardness DIN ISO 7619 Shore D 48 ±31) 48 ±31) 47 ±31) 48 ±31) 48 ±31) 48 ±31) 57 ±31) 60 ±31) 58 ±31)

Density DIN EN ISO 1183 g/cm3 1,2 1,19 1,17 1,2 1,23 1,17 1,21 1,22 1,23

100% modulus DIN 53504 MPa 12 ≥ 10 ≥ 11 ≥ 13 ≥ 17 ≥ 12 ≥ 16 ≥ 22 ≥ 22

Tensile strength/yield stress DIN 53504 MPa ≥ 50 ≥ 45 ≥ 45 ≥ 50 ≥ 45 ≥ 50 ≥ 45 ≥ 45 ≥ 38

Elongation at break DIN 53504 % ≥ 430 ≥ 380 ≥ 330 ≥ 330 ≥ 380 ≥ 450 ≥ 400 ≥ 350 ≥ 300

Modulus of elasticity – tensile test ISO 527-1/2 MPa – – – – – – – – –

Compression set

70 °C/24h 20% compression DIN ISO 815 % ≤ 27 ≤ 30 ≤ 30 ≤ 27 ≤ 30 ≤ 27 ≤ 30 ≤ 30 ≤ 33

100 °C/24h 20% compression DIN ISO 815 % ≤ 33 ≤ 40 ≤ 40 ≤ 33 ≤ 35 453) ≤ 35 ≤ 35 ≤ 39

100 °C/24h DIN ISO 815 % – – – – – – – – –

175 °C/24h DIN ISO 815 % – – – – – – – – –

Tear strength DIN ISO 34-1 N/mm 100 – – 100 120 80 130 160 160

Abrasion DIN ISO 4649 mm3 18 22 18 17 21 15 18 20 29

Minimum service temperature7) °C –30 –35 –30 –20 –20 –50 –30 –20 –20

Maximum service temperature7) °C +110 +110 +110 +110 +110 +110 +110 +110 +110

1) Testing time 3 s only valid for polyurethanes

2) DIN EN ISO 868
3) DIN ISO 815 at –40 °C/24h 20% compression
4) ASTM D4894
5) ASTM 4745
6) ISO 527-1/2
7) Minimum and maximum service temperatures are material properties only. Deviations due to varying application parameters are mentioned/stated
at each seal profile at the following pages.
Data concerning special materials based on the here mentioned standard grades are available on request.

16
Elastomers Thermoplastics Thermoset

Ecowear 1000
SKF Ecoflon 1

SKF Ecoflon 2

SKF Ecoflon 3

SKF Ecoflon 4

SKF Ecoflon 5
+15% GF + 5%
Ecorubber-H

SKF Ecopaek
Ecorubber-1

Ecorubber-2

Ecorubber-3

+25% Carbon
+40% bronze

SKF Ecomid
SKF Ecoflas

SKF Ecotex
SKF Ecotal
SKF Ecosil

modified
MoS2
SKF

SKF

SKF

SKF

SKF
TFE/P HNBR NBR FPM, EPDM MVQ PTFE PTFE PTFE PTFE PTFE PA PEEK POM UHMWPE –
FKM virgin

Black Black Black Brown Black Reddish White Grey Bronze Black White Black Cream Black White Light
brown orange

83 ±5 85 ±5 85 ±5 85 ±5 85 ±5 85 ±5 – – – – – – – – – –

572) 622) 652) 652) 652) 772) 872) 822) 612) 67–77

1,73 1,23 1,31 2,33 1,22 1,52 2,16 2,25 3,05 2,1 2,16 1,15 1,30 1,41 0,93 1,21

8 ≥ 10 ≥ 11 ≥5 ≥8 ≥5 – – – – – – – – – –

13 ≥ 18 ≥ 16 ≥7 ≥ 12 ≥7 274) 205) 235) 155) 304) 556) 1006) 656) 206) 55

220 ≥ 180 ≥ 130 ≥ 200 ≥ 110 ≥ 130 3004) 2205) 2405) 1505) 3604) 1006) ≥ 456) 256) ≥ 3506) –

– – – – – – – – – – – 1 8006) 3 7006) 2 9006) 6006) –

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

– ≤ 22 ≤ 15 – ≤ 15 – – – – – – – – – – –

29 – – ≤ 20 – ≤ 15 – – – – – – – – – –

19 24 20 21 15 8 – – – – – – – – – –

110 90 90 150 120 – – – – – – – – – – –

–10 –25 –30 –20 –50 –60 –200 –200 –200 –200 –200 –40 –100 –50 –200 –40

+200 +150 +100 +200 +150 +200 +260 +260 +260 +260 +260 +110 +260 +100 +90 +120

17
Pressure fluids
– general classification
Seals in the mining, mineral processing and cement industries face a wide range of more or less aggressive
working fluids, that may severely attack the sealing materials and ultimately cause seal failure. Due to increased
safety and contamination regulations and standards, more and more combustible fluids, such as mineral oils,
are replaced by fire-resistant fluids.

These fire-resistant fluids can be divided

into two main groups:

• Water-based fluids
• Synthetic fluids Table 1
Composition of water-based fluids
The water-based fluids can be divided into
fluids with high (HWB-fluids) and low (LWB-
Category Characterisation Water Non-water
fluids) water content. The main che-mical content (%) ingredients
composition is summarized in → table 1.
Due to the water content of these fluids,
the working temperature is limited to HFA–E Oil-in-water emulsion 90–98 Mineral oil, emulsifiers, stabilizers
60 °C to avoid equipment damage. For high- corrosion inhibitors, etc.
er temperatures, fire-resistant fluids with a HFA–S Synthetic solutions 90–98 Synthetic fluids, fluids in water
synthetic composition are available (HFD). antioxidants, corrosion inhibitors,
detergents/dispergents
As these fluids are toxic major health and
safety issues may arise. Please see some HFB Water-in-oil emulsion 0–40 Mineral oil, emulsifiers, stabilizers
corrosion inhibitors, etc.
details in → table 2 and contact SKF for
further details. HFC Water-glycol solutions 35–50 Polyalkylene glycols, corrosion
inhibitors, various additives

Table 2
Fire-resistant fluids of synthetic composition (HFD)

Category Characterisation Toxicity Notes

HFD-R Various grades of phosphate esters medium/high hazardous

HFD-S Chlorinated hydrocarbons (mostly PCB) high hazardous

HFD-T Mixtures of phosphate esters and chlorinated hydrocarbons high hazardous

HFD-U Synthetic esters no/low biologically degradeable

Silicone oils

18
Pressure fluids
and sealing materials
Generally fire-resistant working fluids can SKF has many years of experience in sealing
greatly affect the integrity of sealing materi- systems for these kinds of critical applica-
als. Compared to mineral oils these fluids tions and has extensively investigated the
require a much more careful selection of compatibility of seals with these fluids. The
compatible sealing materials. results of the investigations and general rec-
ommendations for suitable sealing materials
are summarized in → table 3.

Table 3
Fluid compatibility of sealing materials

Category Service Resistant elastomers Notes

temperature (°C) SKF recommendations

HFA-E +5 to 60 H-ECOPUR* (specially formulated polyurethane),

NBR, HNBR, specially formulated FPM

HFA-S +5 to 60 H-ECOPUR* (specially formulated polyurethane), Individual tests necessary

NBR, HNBR, properly formulated FPM and EPDM

HFB +5 to 60 Specially formulated polyurethanes, NBR, HNBR, –

specially formulated FPM

HFC –20 to 60 NBR, HNBR, EPDM and MVQ Specially formulated polyurethanes and FPM have
limited stability

HFD-R >100 FPM (depending on fluid type), EPDM,

MVQ (depending on fluid type)

HFD-S >100 FPM, MVQ

HFD-T >100 FPM, MVQ

HFD-U Silicone oils H-ECOPUR* (specially formulated polyurethane) up

>100 to 100 °C max. FPM (plastizer-free)

Synthetic esters H-ECOPUR* (specially formulated polyurethane) ,

+80 FPM

19
skf.com/seals
® SKF, SKF ECOPUR, G-ECOPUR, H-ECPUR, S-ECOPUR, T-ECOPUR, X-ECOPUR and
SEAL JET are registered trademark of the SKF Group

© SKF Group 2019

The contents of this publication are the copyright of the publisher and may not be reproduced (even
extracts) unless prior written permission is granted. Every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy
of the information contained in this publication but no liability can be accepted for any loss or damage
whether direct, indirect or consequential arising out of the use of the information contained herein.
PUB SE/S2 11319/2 EN · May 2019
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