V-rings (also known as V-seals) are all-rubber seals that are installed directly onto a shaft to seal against a housing face, a bearing, or the back of a shaft seal. Offering simplicity and versatility, V-rings are chiefly used to protect bearings or other parts from contamination, as well as to retain grease. V-rings can also function effectively in dry applications with very low torque.

V-ring consists of three parts: a body, a conical self-adjusting lip, and a hinge. In service, the elastic body of the seal rotates with the shaft while the adjustable lip maintains a dynamic seal in axial contact with a perpendicular counter face. V-rings offer many advantages. V-ring tolerates greater radial variation than a traditional shaft seal. V-ring also tolerates greater shaft-to-bore misalignment (STBM). A V-ring also tolerates greater dynamic run-out (DRO) than a standard shaft seal. And a V-ring can function as both a seal and a slinger. V-rings are also less expensive than traditional shaft seals.

Another important advantage of the V-ring is its elasticity. A V-ring can be stretched during installation onto a shaft without disassembly of the unit, and one size V-ring can be used on a range of shaft sizes in either metric or English dimensions. A commonly used V-ring material is wear-resistant nitrile (-40° F to 225° F). V-rings made of fluoroelastomers are typical in applications with higher temperatures (-20° F to 300° F).

V-rings are often used as supplemental seals in conjunction with traditional shaft seals. Studies have shown that a V-ring paired with a single lip shaft seal excludes contaminants better than a shaft seal with a conventional radial dirt lip.

V-rings profile types: