Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, has a page about mechanical seals:  “End Face Mechanical Seals”.  The “End Face” term is to distinguish the “mechanical seals” that are featured in SealFAQs from the many other types of seals and mechanical seals that are also on Wikipedia.

The Wikipedia page on end face mechanical seals is a pretty good one – I know because I wrote much of it. In fact, some years ago, I edited the page and convinced other editors to use the term “end face mechanical seals”.  Of course, Wikipedia is a collaborative effort and anyone can edit Wikipedia articles so much of my previous revisions had disappeared – just as my current revisions will also disappear over time.

This time around, my edits were largely to make the Wikipedia article consistent with API 682. Therefore, I insisted that an end face mechanical seal is comprised of five components:

• Seal ring
• Mating ring
• Secondary sealing elements
• Springs
• Hardware

whereas the previous article had listed only four components by virtue of grouping the seal ring and mating ring into “primary sealing surfaces”. This combining has happened in the past and will probably happen again.  Obviously someone believes strongly in grouping the seal ring and mating ring.

I also added a very brief overview of seal piping plans, expanded the section on origins and development of mechanical seals and provided a list of references – including a link to SealFAQs.

At this point in time, the Wikipedia page on End Face Mechanical Seals is in sync with SealFAQs but you can be sure that will change in the future.