Saint-Gobain Introduces New Fluoroloy® A90 Material for High-Temperature Jet Engine Applications

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. - Sept. 20, 2016 - PRLog -- Saint-Gobain Seals will be introducing a new polymer material solution specifically for critical applications in jet engine lubrication systems called Fluoroloy® A90 at the SAE E34 Symposium: "Future Developments in Aerospace Technology," to be held on September 28 in San Francisco, California.  Mohammad R. Badrossamay, Saint Gobain Seals' Senior Research Engineer and a key member of the development team, will be available to present the new product that is most suited for the following jet engine applications: bearing chambers, sump system, internal gearboxes and accessories as well as applications with high-temperature requirements.

Over the past few years, the jet engine industry has experienced a considerable movement toward improving performance, efficiency, emissions and operating costs.  These improvements impact the working conditions of this equipment resulting in higher requirements for pressure and temperature, which are transferred to all components of the system such as engine seals.  In parallel, higher engine operating temperatures require lubricants with superior thermal and oxidation stability, which present another challenge in terms of compatibility when using traditional sealing solutions.

To contend with stricter pressure and temperature working conditions, Saint-Gobain Seals developed a new material that enables their spring-energized seals design to work with continuous temperature above 608°F (320°C); this higher threshold goes beyond the traditional sealing solution limit for PTFE compounds currently matching industry requirements.  The Fluoroloy® A90 material formulation withstands static hot air sealing in temperatures up to 662°F (350°C) while retaining the mechanical properties with same or less leakage, surface indentation and material degradation. Under certain conditions, the material has reached an even higher temperature mark, providing very good results at 689°F (365°C).

Additionally, the Fluoroloy® A90 polymer shows a low linear coefficient of thermal expansion that is a favorable benefit in high-temperature sealing applications.  Concerning thermal expansion, especially in applications where temperature range is wide and with more rigid materials (similar to Fluoroloy® A90), if this remains low , the jacket and the counter-surface behave with temperature in a similar way, keeping interference constant through the temperature range, and makes the seal function more reliably and keeping leakage stable.  The material offers stability through time and minimum loss of properties due to thermal aging compared to perfluoroelastomer compounds.

With these competitive advantages, Saint-Gobain Seals can continue to help their partners with another precise fit and lifetime confidence sealing solution along with their OmniSeal®, OmniLip™ and Meldin® product lines that are also widely used in the aerospace industry (e.g. spring-energized seals for the lubrication sump system, rotary shaft seals for the internal and accessory gearbox, and stator vane bushes in HP and IP Compressor sections).

To learn more about Saint-Gobain Seals' Fluoroloy® product line, other product lines and its strategic business unit, visit www.seals.saint-gobain.com or connect on LinkedIn.

About Saint-Gobain Seals (http://www.seals.saint-gobain.com)

Saint-Gobain Seals is a strategic business unit under Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics' Engineered Components SOA (sector of activity); our parent company, Saint-Gobain, is one of the world's top 100 industrial groups as well as one of the oldest manufacturing companies in the world with 350 years of excellence.  With more than 50 years of manufacturing experience and an established global presence (with strategic sites in Garden Grove, California, USA; Kontich, Belgium; and Minhang, Shanghai, China), we offer a diverse range of critical parts for extreme applications.

About SAE E34 Propulsion Lubricants Committee (www.sae.org/servlets/works/committeeHome.do?comtID=TEAE34)

The SAE E-34 Propulsion Lubricants committee addresses all facets of aerospace propulsion lubricants–development, maintenance, and in-service experience. This work includes lubricants used for gas turbine and privately owned jet engines, aircraft gearboxes and accessories as well as synthetic lubricants found on turbo propeller engines. The group is dedicated to creating, preparing, and maintaining all relevant specifications, standards, and requirements for propulsion lubricants.