While O-Rings are an incredibly useful sealing application, they are not infallible. When they fail, it’s usually because of the combined adverse effects of several environmental factors.
The most common causes of O-Ring failures include:
The combination of stresses on the O-Ring can be complex and difficult to evaluate. Therefore, it is crucial that both the O-Ring compound and size be tested in the real environment of its service. Below you’ll find three examples of the types of O-Ring failure that can occur, what causes the failure and how to identify and correct it.
DuPont™ Kalrez® – Total Cost of Ownership Analysis
The drive to reduce costs and environmental concerns have caused many design and processing engineers to turn to perfluoroelastomer sealing parts as the most cost-effective sealing solutions. The value-in-use of perfluoroelastomer can be proven in operating conditions where conventional elastomers fail. Even under less arduous conditions, DuPont Kalrez perfluoroelastomer seals can be the best solution, as they can last significantly longer than conventional sealing solutions.
Economics depend on the total system cost
When considering the economics of elastomeric seals, it is vital to look beyond the total cost related to the sealing solution. The total system cost in use is the sum of the cost of the O-ring seal plus the installation cost plus the downtime cost (including loss of productivity through leakage and clean-up costs).
As we’ve seen in previous posts, O-Rings come in a variety of sizes and materials.
The elastomeric materials that O-Rings are made from work under a range of different temperatures. Click on the chart below to learn more about different O-Ring temperature limits.
For more on O-Rings, including a comparison of some of the properties of commonly used elastomers, download our O-Ring design guide.
In the fall of 2002, Chestnut Hill Academy teachers Peter Randall and Rob Ervin were looking for a way to get students excited about engineering and technology.
That led them to found Team 1218, the academy's award-winning robotics team.
Team 1218 began with four curious students and two willing mentors. The team had very few resources in the beginning, using an empty closet as its shop and a hall as the build space.
Despite the rookie team’s inexperience and limitations, its passion and dedication was the driving force to winning both the 2003 Philadelphia Regional and Rookie All-Star award.
Gallagher Fluid Seals is a proud sponsor of Team 1218. The students's achievements with the program and afterwards as alumni are only matched by the dedication of the faculty leaders and mentors.
At the time Team 1218 was founded, CHA had an engineering graduation rate of exactly 0%. The school quickly recognized the importance of a robotics program to the students and the community, and began to fund the team in 2003 in hope that it would encourage more students to become scientists and engineers.
So far on this blog we’ve discussed O-Ring sizes, the materials they’re made from, and the ways in which they can be used.
In this post, we’ll talk about the common types of O-Ring applications, and their impact on O-ring sizing and hardware design.
When designing grooves for static axial seals, the first consideration is whether the pressure is coming from inward or outward.
In situations involving outward pressure, the outside diameter of the groove is primary, and the groove width is the primary consideration for the inside diameter. For inward pressure, the inside diameter is primary. This ensures that the O-Ring needs to move the least distance to seal the extrusion gap.
Parker’s combination of advanced seal design technology and material expertise has produced a reliable zero-leak rod seal package for hydraulic cylinders for greater equipment output which:
Integral to the design of the zero leak seal package are the characteristics of Parker’s Resilon™ polyurethane material – designed for extended temperature range, wear resistance, compression set resistance, and overall toughness.
As we’ve discussed in past entries on this blog, O-Rings can come in a variety of sizes and have a wide range of uses.
They can also be made from a number of different substances. Here’s a guide to the kinds of O-Ring materials we use, how they are used, and when to avoid using them.