Article re-posted with permission from Parker Hannifin Sealing & Shielding Team.
Original content can be found on Parker’s Blog.
Gallagher Fluid Seals is a Parker Seal Technology Center
Incorrect O-ring installation can lead to assembly damage causing leakage during the first pressure test. If the system does not pressurize properly, the entire piece of equipment should be disassembled and seals must be replaced. Depending on when this test occurs, multiple manufacturing steps could be in between the seal installation and the first step where leakage can be identified. If O-ring damage happens with high frequency, you could be wasting time and money
Gallagher Fluid Seals is a Parker Distributor is proud to be proud to be one of the few premier distributors to qualify as a “Parker Seal Technology Center (STC)”.
Article re-posted with permission from Parker Hannifin Sealing & Shielding Team. Original content can be found on Parker's Blog.
Can O-rings be used in rectangular or non-circular groove patterns? This question comes up weekly, and the answer is a resounding
Gallagher Fluid Seals is a Parker Distributor is proud to be proud to be one of the few premier distributors to qualify as a “Parker Seal Technology Center (STC)”.
Article re-posted with permission from Parker Hannifin Sealing & Shielding Team.
Original content can be found on Parker’s Website and was written by Nathan Wells, application engineer, Engineered Polymer Systems Division.
Heavy duty equipment moves industry forward in all climates, from the sunny Caribbean to icy Greenland. Effective, reliable sealing is what allows hydraulic systems in heavy duty equipment to do work, no matter the temperature. Reliable sealing solutions allow cylinders on dump trucks
Gallagher Fluid Seals is a Parker Distributor is proud to be proud to be one of the few premier distributors to qualify as a “Parker Seal Technology Center (STC)”.
O-rings are a universal seal throughout the world. However, some axial applications may benefit from a different sealing solution called Press-in-Place seals, or PIP seals.
First, let’s define axial seal. “Axial” implies the seal is being compressed from top to bottom. In other words, the seal is pressed between two flat surfaces. One flat surface has a groove cut into it to retain the O-ring and limit compression. This may also be called a face seal.
Gallagher Fluid Seals is a Parker Distributor is proud to be proud to be one of the few premier distributors to qualify as a “Parker Seal Technology Center (STC)”.
O-rings are a universal seal throughout the world. However, some axial applications may benefit from a different sealing solution called Press-in-Place seals, or PIP seals.
First, let’s define axial seal. “Axial” implies the seal is being compressed from top to bottom. In other words, the seal is pressed between two flat surfaces. One flat surface has a groove cut into it to retain the O-ring and limit compression. This may also be called a face seal.
A common question that comes from many customers is: “Can you tell me which O-ring compound meets this ASTM D2000 callout?” It’s understandable, since at first glance, the ASTM D2000 callout can be intimidating for determining the type of O-ring material. However, the ASTM D2000 is a very useful tool to quickly specify requirements for O-ring materials, and is standardized so it is easy to interpret industry wide. So, what is the ASTM D2000 specification, and how can I interpret it?
ASTM D2000 is a standardized description of rubber compounds. It was first developed for use in the automotive industry, however it is now used by many industries to specify requirements for rubber compounds in a consistent way. Think of the specification as a common language everyone in the rubber industry speaks, allowing us to communicate easily with each other without an interpreter. An ASTM D2000 callout
Lubrication is an important, sometimes overlooked, component of sealing. Many applications require lubrication for installation to prevent seal damage and prevent injury during manual assembly. Internal lubricants reduce installation force and dynamic friction without the need for an external lubricant or coating. Internal lubrication also decreases break-out friction for dynamic applications. Operating seals with no lubrication can lead to heat buildup and accelerated wear that can result in leakage and shorten the seal’s life. Internally lubricated seal materials provide a clean alternative to grease or oil in an assembly operation.
This blog will discuss how they work and the benefits of internally lubricated o-rings.
Article re-posted with permission from Parker Hannifin Sealing & Shielding Team.
Original content can be found on Parker’s Blog.
Sealing decisions are often left until the end of product development. By the time an email is sent to Gallagher Fluid Seals, the gland may already be fixed. This may not pose a problem in many applications, but it can often leave the seal engineer with few options. Having input from the seal expert in the early stages will allow for greater flexibility in choosing a seal and better chances at optimal sealing.
Thermo-Chem™ firewall sheets, rope, tape, cloth and tubing are flexible, fire-resistant fabric products used in applications where flame and fuel resistance is required.
Their composition and construction from woven and texturized glass yarns, plain or wire-reinforced, form a non-porous,
Article re-posted with permission from Parker Hannifin Sealing & Shielding Team.
Original content can be found on Parker’s Website and was written by Vivek Sarasam, heavy duty mobile Sr. application engineer, and Jeffrey Labonte, market manager.
Parker Hannifin Engineered Materials Group has developed a wide variety of metal seals which can be formed or machined. A metal seal is a highly engineered sealing solution which provides elastic recovery or spring back to maintain good sealing, despite separation of mating surfaces due to effects of thermal cycling, flange rotation, applied mechanical or hydrostatic loads or creep.
A metal seal is used when the application conditions are outside the specification limits of a polymer. For example, when:
Metal Seals are primarily used in static applications for temperatures as high as 1000°C/1832°F and pressures as high as 6825 bar/99000 psi for select applications. At low cryogenic temperatures and low pressures, such as vacuum seal applications, metal seals are far better than polymers since they do not become brittle and lose elasticity. Metal seals also have a low leakage rate down to 1 x 10-12 cc/sec per mm circumference which in comparison to high load O-rings is almost 100x better.
Unlike elastomer seals, metal seals are very highly resilient to corrosive chemicals and even intense levels of radiation. With this resilience coupled with the right material selection/coating for an application, a metal seal can be a very durable seal performing dependably year after year.
Parker has a variety of in-house developed coatings which are used based on the application conditions and base material. The chart on page D-59 of the Metal Seal Design Guide (shown below) shows examples of some of the coatings based on the base material.
Metal seal x-sections can vary from a solid O to a Hollow O and from a C Ring to an E Ring depending on the application load and allowable leakage rate as shown in the figure below. Each x-section has benefits based on the application use and cost as indicated in the chart below.
Page A-10 of the Metal Seal Design Guide (shown below) shows some common applications in the industry and the type of metal seal used in those applications. These are examples of applications where the application conditions exceed beyond what an elastomer is capable of handling.