Magnetic Fluid Rotary Seals for Robotic Joints

Magnetic fluid rotary seal has the advantages of no pollution, long service life, stable sealing pressure value, etc., and has a good application in clean room and vacuum environment equipment. This study proposes a ring-shaped magnetic fluid seal structure and related design methods suit-able for robotic joint seal. Firstly, the structure of the magnetic fluid seal module is designed according to the size of the joint space of the robot. Secondly, the structural parameters of the magnetic fluid seal are designed on the basis of the magneto-hydrodynamics and the finite element theory of the magnetic field. Finally, a magnetic fluid seal test platform is built to simulate the working environment of the robot, and to reveal the relationship between physical quantities such as temperature, speed, pressure resistance, and resistance torque. In addition, this study proposes the design of the magnetic permeable ring, and analyzes the difference between this structure and the traditional magnetic fluid sealing structure through simulation, and realizes the efficient and stable sealing of the robot joints.