Rubber Sealing Capabilities

[mcintya]

Hi,

I was wondering if there was a way to determine the minimum required "sealing stress" between a lapped stainless steel surface and an elastomer (we use a number of different elastomers the most common being Viton). Is there anyway to accurately predict the sealing characteristics of a particular material? Are there any common tests that are performed to determine these properties, and if so where can I obtain the data?

I would appreciate any suggestions,
thanks,
Andrew

 

[SOLIDMODEL1]

Shouldn't the substance you are trying to seal have a minimum sealing stress before it is able to leak? Anyway, to calculate the compressive stiffness of an o-ring, you use the following :

(4/3) E [(2xd)^0.5 PI D/d-x]

Where:

E = Young's Modulus of elastomer
x = deflection
d = diameter of cross section
D = mean diameter of seal

Remember that 'x' in the above equation does NOT mean multiply !!

Hope this helps.

Conrad.

 

[sealguy]

I suggest that you reguest a Parker Seal Division O-Ring Guide from your local distributor. It will provide the information that you need. If you can't locate a distributor, send me an e-mail and I will provide one for you.