Excessive shaft endplay and runout can cause premature failure of bearings or mechanical seals. Some of these concepts were discussed in mechanical seal root cause failure analysis as potential reasons for seal failure. It is important to check endplay and runout periodically to ensure they are within the allowed tolerances.

If you plan to oil lubricate your pump, it is important to select the proper oil. Using the right oil for the job can extend the life of your bearings and prevent unexpected down time.

Root cause failure analysis for pump packing is similar to RCFA for mechanical seals. Just using your eyes and this guide, you can identify with confidence why the packing failed. Then, you can determine if a change is necessary and/or cost effective.

Potential changes include:

• Using a different style or material of packing
• Cutting the rings differently
• Buying them pre-cut and pre-formed
• How the packing is installed
• How the packing is “broken in”
• Use of environmental controls like circulation or flushing

Wear track analysis is an important part of root cause failure analysis of mechanical seals, because the wear track may contain clues that may identify why the seal failed. The wear track is the mark made by the mechanical seal's rotating face rubbing against the stationary face. You can use the diagrams in this post to identify common issues that can be identified using wear track analysis.

Conducting root cause failure analysis on a failed mechanical seal can in the long run minimize mean time between failure (MTBF) and operating costs by preventing repeat premature failure. If you can find the culprit and resolve the issues, you can prolong the life of the next mechanical seal and save time and money.

A tremendous amount of useful information is available from a failed mechanical seal. With nothing more than your eyes and a measuring device like a dial or digital caliper, you can identify failure modes with great dependability and detail. With this information you can decide if any corrective measures are worth the resources required. In many cases, the payback is many times the outlay in a very short period of time.

And because RCFA (Root Cause Failure Analysis) provides evidence rather than conjecture, it can support the changes needed when other departments are involved. Read on to learn the steps to examine a failed mechanical seal.