{"id":520,"date":"2026-02-23T20:17:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T20:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/systemseals.orangesprocket.com\/?post_type=case_study&p=520"},"modified":"2026-04-10T19:32:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T19:32:07","slug":"polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability","status":"publish","type":"case_study","link":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/case-studies\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\/","title":{"rendered":"Polyurethane Seals for Wind Energy Increase Reliability"},"content":{"rendered":"
\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

Introduction<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

When a well-known, global bearing manufacturer began supplying the next generation of bearings for large wind turbines, the company needed a new seal design that would substantially outperform the industry\u2019s standard product.<\/p>\n

Molded nitrile seals, made of rubber and impregnated with cloth, are commonly used in wind turbines around the world. The technology has remained virtually unchanged for years, and often have a tendency to wear faster, offer low reliability and require frequent replacement. Their performance limits the manufacturer\u2019s warranty, and replacing a seal that is 2 meters in diameter on a remote turbine \u2013 many of which are located offshore \u2013 can be a substantial and expensive burden.<\/p>\n

So the manufacturer challenged System Seals to review their application and develop a solution with longer operating life. Starting from scratch, System Seals analyzed a multitude of application variables, including turbine speed, friction, torque, temperatures, pressures and fluids. They studied the unique deflections of the bearing under wind load. The deflections led the engineering team to design a highly flexible and compliant lip that compensated for irregular movement.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/section>

\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"\"\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/section>
\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

Challenge<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

Develop a more abrasion resistant seal for main bearings that extends lifetime and reliability.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

System Seals then designed a prototype and ran extensive tests in their on-site research-and-development facility in Cleveland. Using finite element analysis (FEA) to study the stress levels of the new lip, they made refinements to ensure it would endure under the harshest conditions.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/section>

\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

Solution<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

An engineered, highly abrasion-resistant, polyurethane seal that is precision machined, not molded.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In the end, System Seals developed a CNC machined polyurethane seal that eliminated expensive tooling and mold costs. Independent tests revealed the polyurethane\u2019s abrasion resistance was 400 percent greater than the original nitrile seal. And because the product was machined, small modifications could easily be made to additional seals if the bearing design or application parameters were changed.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/section>

\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"\"\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/section>
\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

Result<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

Abrasion resistance improved more than 400-percent, with substantially enhanced reliability. System Seals then designed a prototype and ran extensive tests in their on-site research-and-development facility in Cleveland. Using finite element analysis (FEA) to study the stress levels of the new lip, they made refinements to ensure it would endure under the harshest conditions. In the end, System Seals developed a CNC machined polyurethane seal that eliminated expensive tooling and mold costs. Independent tests revealed the polyurethane\u2019s abrasion resistance was 400 percent greater than the original nitrile seal. And because the product was machined, small modifications could easily be made to additional seals if the bearing design or application parameters were changed.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduction When a well-known, global bearing manufacturer began supplying the next generation of bearings for large wind turbines, the company needed a new seal design that would substantially outperform the industry\u2019s standard product. Molded nitrile seals, made of rubber and impregnated with cloth, are commonly used in wind turbines around the world. The technology has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2859,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"case_study_category":[22],"class_list":["post-520","case_study","type-case_study","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","case_study_category-wind-energy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPolyurethane Seals for Wind Energy Increase Reliability - System Seals - Top Manufacturer for Reliable Seals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/case-studies\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Polyurethane Seals for Wind Energy Increase Reliability - System Seals - Top Manufacturer for Reliable Seals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Introduction When a well-known, global bearing manufacturer began supplying the next generation of bearings for large wind turbines, the company needed a new seal design that would substantially outperform the industry\u2019s standard product. Molded nitrile seals, made of rubber and impregnated with cloth, are commonly used in wind turbines around the world. The technology has […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/case-studies\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"System Seals - Top Manufacturer for Reliable Seals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-10T19:32:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/metal-sheet-forming-machine-at-the-modern-metalwor-2026-01-11-09-33-05-utc-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1709\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/en\\\/case-studies\\\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/en\\\/case-studies\\\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\\\/\",\"name\":\"Polyurethane Seals for Wind Energy Increase Reliability - System Seals - Top Manufacturer for Reliable Seals\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/en\\\/case-studies\\\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/en\\\/case-studies\\\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/metal-sheet-forming-machine-at-the-modern-metalwor-2026-01-11-09-33-05-utc-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-23T20:17:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-10T19:32:07+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/en\\\/case-studies\\\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/en\\\/case-studies\\\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/en\\\/case-studies\\\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/metal-sheet-forming-machine-at-the-modern-metalwor-2026-01-11-09-33-05-utc-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/metal-sheet-forming-machine-at-the-modern-metalwor-2026-01-11-09-33-05-utc-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1709},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/en\\\/case-studies\\\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Case Studies\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/en\\\/case-studies\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Polyurethane Seals for Wind Energy Increase Reliability\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"System Seals - Top Manufacturer for Reliable Seals\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.systemseals.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Polyurethane Seals for Wind Energy Increase Reliability - System Seals - Top Manufacturer for Reliable Seals","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/case-studies\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Polyurethane Seals for Wind Energy Increase Reliability - System Seals - Top Manufacturer for Reliable Seals","og_description":"Introduction When a well-known, global bearing manufacturer began supplying the next generation of bearings for large wind turbines, the company needed a new seal design that would substantially outperform the industry\u2019s standard product. Molded nitrile seals, made of rubber and impregnated with cloth, are commonly used in wind turbines around the world. The technology has […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/case-studies\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\/","og_site_name":"System Seals - Top Manufacturer for Reliable Seals","article_modified_time":"2026-04-10T19:32:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1709,"url":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/metal-sheet-forming-machine-at-the-modern-metalwor-2026-01-11-09-33-05-utc-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/case-studies\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\/","url":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/case-studies\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\/","name":"Polyurethane Seals for Wind Energy Increase Reliability - System Seals - Top Manufacturer for Reliable Seals","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/case-studies\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/case-studies\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/metal-sheet-forming-machine-at-the-modern-metalwor-2026-01-11-09-33-05-utc-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-23T20:17:20+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-10T19:32:07+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/case-studies\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/case-studies\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/case-studies\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/metal-sheet-forming-machine-at-the-modern-metalwor-2026-01-11-09-33-05-utc-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/metal-sheet-forming-machine-at-the-modern-metalwor-2026-01-11-09-33-05-utc-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1709},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/case-studies\/polyurethane-seals-for-wind-energy-increase-reliability\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Case Studies","item":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/case-studies\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Polyurethane Seals for Wind Energy Increase Reliability"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/","name":"System Seals - Top Manufacturer for Reliable Seals","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case_study\/520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case_study"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/case_study"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case_study\/520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3566,"href":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case_study\/520\/revisions\/3566"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"case_study_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.systemseals.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case_study_category?post=520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}