What is a rod seal?
Christopher Anderson
Published Mar 18, 2026
What is a rod seal?
Rod Seals are the most important seal within any hydraulic sealing system. Rod Seals prevent leakage of hydraulic fluid to the outside of the sealing system. GFS Rod Seal profiles are available as single acting (pressure from one side) or double acting (pressure from both sides).
What are two types of hydraulic seals?
The major categories of hydraulic seals are positive and non-positive based on the application(static/dynamic) those are used with. Positive seals doesn’t permit any leakage. But, non-positive seals creates some internal leakages. Static seals are used in between mating parts that doesn’t have any relative motion.
What is the rod of a cylinder?
The piston rod is typically a hard chrome-plated piece of cold-rolled steel that attaches to the piston and extends from the cylinder through the rod-end head. In double rod-end cylinders, the actuator has a rod extending from both sides of the piston and out both ends of the barrel.
What are the types of hydraulic seals?
Types of Hydraulic Seals
- Piston Seals. Piston Seals guarantee liquid or other media do not pass round the piston due to the system pressure pushing the piston down the cylinder amid a stress course.
- Rod Seals.
- Wiper Seals.
- Wear Rings.
What are rod seals made of?
Rod seals are made of plastic, rubber or Teflon, depending on the type of fluid to which they are exposed, the amount of pressure and whether the cylinder is single acting, meaning the seals receive dynamic pressure from one side, or double acting, meaning the pressure comes from both sides.
What is seal made of?
A seal is a small portable artefact mostly made of stone but also found in other materials, such as bone/ivory, metal, and various artificial pastes. It displays engraved motifs and is generally perforated so that it can be suspended.
What is a hydraulic piston seal?
Piston seals or piston rings are used in hydraulic cylinders for fluid sealing and are designed to ensure that pressurised fluid does not leak across the cylinder head as the system pressure pushes the piston down the cylinder bore.
What is a PTFE seal?
PTFE (commonly known as Teflon) became the seal material of choice. PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) is an inert material which makes it resistant to nearly all chemicals and acids. It is also self-lubricating, making it great for applications which are either dry, or have an abrasive media.
What is cylinder rod made of?
Most commonly, the cylinder rod is made of steel or stainless steel and is then coated with Hard Chrome Plating (HCP).
What is a tie rod type hydraulic cylinder?
Tie rod hydraulic cylinders use high-strength threaded steel rods in order to hold the end caps to the cylinder barrel. Small bore cylinders typically have four tie rods whereas larger bore cylinders can have as many as twenty tie rods in order to withstand the forces produced by the cylinder.
How do I choose a hydraulic seal?
The following most common application considerations are nearly always required when selecting hydraulic seals:
- Fluid pressure range, the range of operating fluid system pressure, as well as frequency and severity of pressure peaks.
- Temperature range,
- Speed,
- Fluid media,
- Hardware dimensions,
- Application of the cylinder,
What is the best material for hydraulic seals?
Nitrile
Nitrile. Nitrile is commonly used for fluid power cylinders, but has a range of other industrial applications. It has a rubbery consistency, making it ideal for hydraulic seals, and it holds a number of advantages. Nitrile is particularly cost-effective and also offers remarkable resistance.
Different Types of Hydraulic Seals Piston Seal. Piston seal is a type of hydraulic seal where the sealing lip has contact with the entire housing bore. Rod Seals. Rod seals are commonly used static hydraulic seals for hydraulic cylinder sealing. Wiper Seals. Buffer seals. Symmetric Seals.
What is a piston seal?
Piston Seals, also known as piston rings are devices that used to tightly seal pressurized fluid and air in between a piston and the bore of a cylinder. They prevent the fluid or air from flowing to the cylinder head.
What is hydraulic oil seal?
Oil seals are a variety of hydraulic cylinder seals, and they are necessary to help maintain fluid pressure and prevent contamination within hydraulic systems. Oils seals also help to prevent wear from friction, increasing the working lifespan of the systems in which they are installed and improving their efficiency.
