Are there any advantages to cryogenically freezing apex seals????

 

Why?


-Ted

 

looking into doing this process if it has any advantages to compression and or longevity.

 

it hardens metal. so yeah the seals should be harder and thus have increased longevity. It's pretty common to see piston guys with cryotreated cranks. Heck even musicians with metal instruments have cryotreated horns.

When metal is heated (as in forged, or molded, or whatever) the molecules are moving very fast. Even when the metal is hardened it can take YEARS for the molecules to slow. Cyro treating lowers the temperature and thus slows the molecules movements....the molecules are more compacted and near stationary.... thus the metal is more (for a lack of a better word at the moment) hard.

 

Might look into doing this and see how it works being that it won't cost that much for seals!

 

i would say this is a bad idea,,,, wouldnt making apex seals harder make them seat slower and also porentially tear up/wear your housings faster,

 

Speed Machines Does this to their seals....

http://www.speedmachineperformance.com/

 

Just a thought as well....if I had some irons sent to a machine shop and had them mill them (lapped with a blanchard grinder), would cryro treating them be similar to nitriding them?

 

What does this have to do with the "Turbo Section" how about putting this in the "Rotary Performance". You know where they talk about "General Rotary Engine modification discussions".

I'm not gonna tell you to search, cause chances are, you'll probably get that wrong too.

 

If you want a harder/stronger seal then why not just buy one?

 

Could a mod please ove this to general rotary tech? thanx!

 

+1

Harden the apex seal...wear the rotor housing and the apex seal groove in the rotor.

There is no free lunch.

Longevity is not something you're going to gain from making a "stronger" apex seal.

Harder also means more brittle.
If the apex seal does fail (and it will under abuse), it's going to shatter into nice (hard) pieces...


-Ted

 

I don't think its a good idea. This method is used to strengthen parts, but the breaking of apex seals is more of a shockwave even this wouldn't prevent. For all other parts ,do it. I think they should make 1/2" wide apex seals!

 

if i remember right werent the 10as seals like 6mm wide i think,,, but most people dont have much trouble with highquality 2mm seals from what ive seen,, just tune better