Gallagher Fluid Seals recently made our Fluoroelastomer Basics webinar available on the website.
This webinar will discuss:
Differences between an elastomer and a fluoroelastomer
The important role fluorine plays
Types of fluoroelastomers and their features and benefits
Material performance comparisons
Chemical resistance of fluoroelastomers
Temperature ratings of fluoroelastomers
Considerations when choosing the right fluoroelastomer for your application
What is an Elastomer?
An elastomer is made up of long chain polymers which are connected by crosslinks. Crosslinks are analogous to springs and provide an "elastic" (recovery) nature to the material. The crosslinks are relatively stable, but can break down under extreme temperatures and pressures.
What is a Fluoroelastomer?
A fluoroelastomer differs from other elastomers in that it has fluorine linked to the polymer backbone. The following is an FKM (ASTM designation for this type) fluoroelastomer. The addition of fluorine off of the carbon backbone improves the chemical resistance of the material. The carbon-fluorine bond is the strongest in organic chemistry, and helps resistance to high temperatures.
We will be posting portions of the webinar on our blog, so keep an eye out! To download the webinar, simply visit our Resources page, or click on the image at the beginning of the article.
About the Author / Orator
Russell Schnell spent more than 37 years as an engineer with DuPont, the last 26 years as a Senior Application Engineer with the Kalrez® perfluoroelastomer parts business. Recognized for his expertise in elastomer applications, seal design and failure analysis, he provided technical support for a wide range of industries including: chemical processing, aerospace, oil and gas, pharmaceutical and semi-con. He created and conducted hundreds of training seminars and workshops in this field and was solely responsible for the development of the Kalrez® Application Guide software tool.
Russ received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University in New York and MBA from the University of Delaware.
