Oil seals go by many names, such as shaft seals, dirt seals, grease seals, lip seals, and many other variations of these. They are essentially simple devices used in rotary shaft equipment to prevent lubricant from escaping and for excluding contaminants such as dust, dirt and water. An oil seal’s most important function, however, is that it protects every type of ball, sleeve and roller bearing in the rotating shafts. The seals also prevent the integration of two different fluids that shouldn’t mix, such as oil and water.
Oil Seals, also known as fluid seals, grease seals, dirt seals, shaft seals, or lip seals, help to seal the gap between static and moving components in machinery and equipment. Oil Seals used in rotating applications are known as rotary seals.
Oil seal installation
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Nitrile
Oil seal for higher pressures

The seal shown in Fig. 14.2 is a relatively simple design; most automotive seals are more complex. Dust lips are often used to keep outside contaminants away from the oil lip seals; such seals thus have undercuts that make demolding more difficult. Fluoroelastomer compounds used for such undercut shapes must have reasonably high elongation at break at molding temperatures to avoid tearing the part during demolding. The metal insert is often U-shaped, and stock may be molded to form a thin layer over the outside of the insert. Since both compression and injection molding methods are used, suppliers of fluoroelastomers for shaft-seal applications often must provide different versions of the same polymer composition-medium to high viscosity for compression molding, and low to medium viscosity for injection molding. Different precompounds may be necessary to accommodate relatively long compression-molding times at low temperature and very short injection-molding times at high temperature.

Fundamental things and its importance
Oil seals close spaces between moving or stationary mechanical components to prevent lubricants like grease and oil from escaping, while also preventing dust, dirt, moisture, and other contaminants from entering the seal. Also known as shaft seals, dirt seals, lip seals, or grease seals, the primary components of any oil seal include an inner metal ring, which provides structural support, and a spring, which provides interference for effective sealing.
Seals are designed to create a tight seal around the shaft by utilising a combination of lip geometry, surface tension, and lubrication. When the shaft rotates, the lip of the oil seal comes into contact with the shaft surface, creating a frictional force that generates heat. This heat helps to soften and conform the elastomeric material of the oil seal to the shape of the shaft, ensuring an effective sealing action.
Lubricant Amount - Seals will always perform best when lubricated, however in some machines there are more likely to be dry spells. For these cases, selecting a leather or PTFE seal will be beneficial, as both can operate with less lubrication than others.
Pressure - Many oil seals can only withstand low-pressure applications, so understanding the compression set of your components is key.