Automotive
Automotive cooling systems
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Diesel locomotives
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Heavy equipment
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Stationary diesel generators
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Refrigerated truck compressors
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HexoloySiC - a superior seal face material for automotive water pumps.
- Extreme Hardness and High Strength
- High Abrasion and Wear Resistance
- Excellent Corrosion Resistance
- Superior Thermal Shock Resistance
Today's automotive companies are placing ever-increasing demands on the components that go into their products - from improved performance to longer service life. Hexoloy® SiC seal faces for water pump and other transportation applications are proven superior in meeting the requirements of vehicles around the world.
Saint-Gobain Ceramics currently supplies over 25 million seal faces for use by U.S. and European automakers, replacing seal faces now made of materials such as aluminum oxide, carbon graphite and bronze. Several automakers and truck engine manufacturers have converted 100% of their production to seal assemblies using sintered silicon carbide as one or both of the seal faces. The following information demonstrates the distinct benefits Hexoloy® SiC offers for your application.
The Right Properties
New automotive engines designed for longer warranties have led to increased operational demands on the cooling system. The use of engine coolants containing high concentrations of silicates and nitrates calls for seal face materials that are resistant to deposits and wear under adverse coolant conditions. Silicate gel formation on the sealing faces can cause damage to either the mating ring or seal ring and result in coolant leakage. Supplemental coolant additives and high operating temperatures can aggravate the gel formation problem, adversely affecting seal performance.
Outstanding Wear Resistance
- As the hardest commercially available seal face material, Hexoloy® SiC provides wear resistance and long service life.
- Low friction and high strength characteristics result in superior high PV performance.
- Overcomes the adverse effects of over-conditioned engine coolant in the field
- Superior performance under conditions of limited lubrication or dry running at the sliding pair interface
Universal Corrosion Resistance
- Hexoloy® SiC is chemically inert to strong oxidizers.
- Outperforms carbon-graphite, aluminum oxide and metals in all chemical categories.
High Thermal Conductivity
- Minimizes temperature build-up and provides excellent thermal shock resistance, eliminating the need for banding as employed with aluminum oxide
- Can minimize or prevent the crystallization of silica gel that causes seal face damage
- Lowers sealing gap temperatures by rapidly dissipating frictional heat produced.
Water Pump Failures Per 1,000 Cars
Automaker improves warranty using Hexoloy® silicon carbide seal face material
A Big 3 automaker changed seal face materials in one of their passenger car engine water pumps from aluminum oxide on phenolic to Hexoloy® SA silicon carbide on hard carbon. The company's 3-year/36,000 mile repairs per thousand (R/1000) number decreased 50% in one year after the change to the silicon carbide seal face material.
A Choice of HexoloyMaterials
Hexoloy® SP Silicon Carbide
Hexoloy® SP SiC is a sintered alpha silicon carbide designed specifically for optimum performance in sliding contact applications. This material retains the universal corrosion resistance yet improves upon the exceptional wear resistance of Hexoloy® SA SiC through the addition of unique spherical pores. These discrete, evenly dispersed pores act as fluid reservoirs, promoting the retention of a fluid film at the interface of sliding component surfaces. Self-mated Hexoloy® SP is the material of choice for heavy-duty diesel applications and any application requiring cost-effective extended warranty operation.
Hexoloy® SA Silicon Carbide
Hexoloy SA SiC is a pressureless sintered form of alpha silicon carbide, with a density greater than 98 percent of theoretical. It has a very fine grain structure (less than 10µm) for excellent wear resistance and contains no free silicon, which makes it highly chemically resistant. The combination of fine grain structure and universal corrosion resistance results in a hard face material with excellent performance.
Finished seals to your specifications
We can manufacture even the most intricate water pump seal faces, in the right material, to your most exacting specifications. Our applications engineering support team has the experience and talent to provide solutions to your product design and application challenges. Our manufacturing methods enable us to meet your high volume manufacturing requirements economically.
Other HexoloySiC transportation applications
The outstanding properties of Hexoloy® SiC have led to its use for components in a variety of other transportation applications such as air conditioning compressors in buses and refrigerated truck compressors. We can supply both Hexoloy® SA and Hexoloy® SP as:
- Finished components
- Unfinished tubes and machined blanks
- Pressed near net-shape blanks
- High volume pressed net-shape components
- Complex, highly machined parts
Typical Properties of Water Pump Seal Face Materials
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Your Source for Hexoloy® SiC Seal Faces...Worldwide
Saint-Gobain Ceramics offers vast resources to meet your needs for silicon carbide products. With representation in Asia by Saint-Gobain Ceramics, Structural Ceramics Japan and locations in Europe, Australia and South America, we can deliver your solution when you need it, where you need it, in virtually every corner of the world.
