Numerical simulation of the lubrication characteristics of bionic surface textures on mechanical sealing rings

Inspired by the shark scale surface in natural world, five different bionic surface textures were designed. Through numerical simulation, the influence mechanism of the geometrical parameters on the lubrication characteristics of the bionic surface textures on the mechanical sealing rings under refrigerant conditions was investigated. The results revealed that the lubrication characteristics of the bionic surface textures is jointly influenced by the texture shape, arrangement, vortex phenomenon, and hydrodynamic pressure effect. The lubrication characteristics of all five bionic surfaces designed in this study was superior to those of the smooth surface. The effects of density and texture depth on the lubrication characteristics of the surface textures exhibits criticality. The results provide valuable insights into the effective design of bionic surface textures on mechanical seal rings, especially in improving their lubrication characteristics under refrigerant conditions. The effectiveness of numerical simulation techniques in evaluating and optimizing the performance of bionic texture design in various micro- and nanofabrication processes is further validated.