Page 2 - parker seals

Parker Hannifin Seals

Theme Park Thrills Owe Much to Hydraulics and Accumulators

December 27, 2018

Article re-posted with permission from Parker Hannifin Hydraulics Team.
Original content can be found on Parker’s Blog.

Most people enjoy theme parks as a place to get away from work, but for those in the hydraulics industry, they are a place to demonstrate their expertise. Behind many of the rides that make your stomach drop or your eyes blink in amazement, Parker's accumulators are picking up the stresses and enhancing the performances of hydraulic technology.

Behind the scenes, there is complex machinery that must run precisely and smoothly to ensure safe and reliable operation. Whether you are splashing through water, sailing above the tree lines, or being wowed by animations and simulations, powerful equipment that depends on the science and engineering of hydraulics is enriching your activities. And, many of these large, powerful hydraulic systems rely on accumulators; hidden from the public view, but critical in their roles.

The Role of Accumulators

Typically, accumulators installed in hydraulic systems store energy to either provide an extra boost of power or absorb energy to smooth out pulsations. One of the world's largest manufacturer of accumulators is Parker's Accumulator and Cooler Division. According to Jeff Sage, product sales manager, the Parker accumulators used in theme parks are gas-charged and are either bladder accumulators or piston accumulators. Parker manufactures both types and has the engineering expertise to recommend which kind best fits the requirements of a particular ride.

O-rings Parker Hannifin Seals

TetraSeals: Alternate Sealing Solution

May 31, 2018

Article re-posted with permission from Parker Hannifin Sealing & Shielding Team.
Original content can be found on Parker’s Blog.

TetraSeal: An Alternate Sealing Solution When an O-Ring Isn't Working

Our applications engineering team takes more than a few calls each month where the O-ring is leaking, either immediately or after just a short time in service. Once we drill down to the details, we learn the failure mode is an improperly sized groove and O-ring. It isn’t all that uncommon for a groove to be cut in a flange and a novice designer learns the hard way that standard O-rings cannot fit in just any groove geometry. For hardware that has already been machined, frustration ensues as the caller learns the O-ring solution requires tooling. Tooling can have a lead time of at least a month to cut and can cost thousands of dollars. Parker offers a TetraSeal® solution, which often does not require tooling and can be made of many of the same materials used for O-rings.

Benefits of TetraSeals

The TetraSeal is a circular precision-cut seal with a square cross-section. Unlike O-rings which require a unique mold for each material family and size, TetraSeals are extruded, cured and machine cut to the target thickness. Our manufacturing facilities in both Spartanburg, South Carolina and Goshen, Indiana are tooled in a variety of interchangeable extrusion dies, making this type of seal an easily sourced seal solution without the lead time and cost of a custom molded O-ring.

O-rings Parker Hannifin Seals

Selecting the Right O-Ring Squeeze Ratio

January 30, 2018

Article re-posted with permission from Parker Hannifin Sealing & Shielding Team.
Original content can be found on Parker’s Blog.

One of the decisions equipment designers need to make when installing O-ring seals in their applications is how much the O-ring will be squeezed by its mating hardware to create an effective seal.

What is O-ring squeeze

Squeeze is a ratio of the amount of deformation applied to the seal expressed as a percentage of the free-state cross-sectional thickness. Deforming the seal cross-section “energizes” the elastomer matrix much like compressing a spring; the inherent elasticity of the rubber material causes it to push back against the mating components. This contact force blocks the passage of liquids, gases and dry powders, preventing them from flowing between the rubber seal and the mating hardware.

The greater the squeeze, the more force is applied against the hardware and the tighter the seal. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that designers should always specify the most squeeze (assuming they knew what that level was or why it was “the most”). There are a number of factors to consider, which include:

O-rings Parker Hannifin Seals

How To Install an O-Ring in any Application

January 23, 2018

O-Rings continue to be the most widely utilized sealing product. While the ‘Donut’ shaped profile has by and large been kept intact since their inception, continued elastomeric development has pushed o-ring temperature and chemical compatibility to limits unimaginable several decades ago.

Typically, O-Rings fail due to adverse effects of a number of factors, from improper installation and lubrication to incorrect size and design. The collection of videos below will help you minimize installation errors that may lead to failure (be sure to bookmark this page for future reference).