APPILCATION OF RUBBER IN SEALS

Dept.of. RPT, MIT, Chennai

Disintegration of Space Shuttle Challenger
on January 28 1986.
 This was blamed on a failed O-ring.

 During investigation of the launch footage, a small

out-gassing event was observed from the Solid Rocket
Booster (SRB) at the joint between two segments, in the
moments immediately preceding the explosion. The
escaping high temperature gas impinged upon the external
tank, and the entire vehicle was destroyed as a result.

 Material of the failed O-ring was FKM.

 INTRODUCTION
Seal: A device or means of preventing, substantially reducing or
controlling the leakage or passage of gases, liquids, solid particles and
various types of energy radiations such as light, radio/microwave
frequency emission etc.
SEAL

STATIC DYNAMIC

Members are assembled so that There is relative motion (rotary /sliding) between the

there is no relative motion between members which contact the seal e.g. rotating pump

them. shafts and hydraulic cylinders.

Joints with motion usually require lubrication of the

O-ring to reduce wear. This is typically

accomplished with the fluid being sealed.

 RUBBER SEALS

A component made from an elastomer compound used to seal

any thing from a wrist watch to freight door of air craft.

The seal is performing its service in static condition or

constantly moving in dynamic application - either reciprocating
or rotating shaft – providing a near positive no leak mode in a
hydraulic cylinder, ram, mixer or gear box - as examples.

This component can have different size and shape. Mostly

shapes are O ring type with different cross-sections.
 Different types of rubber seals
 All rubber Seals:
 The majority of Squeeze type of seals,-the seals which operate under
radial or axial compressive strain, are all rubber seal and also simpler
U-seal or Cup type seals are all rubber seal

 Fabric Rubber Seals: The incorporation of fabric increase

modulus, stiffness, strength, wear and tear resistance of rubber
seals.

 Metal Rubber seals: Many seals for rotary shaft application are
metal-rubber bonded product. Like fabric metal also gives much
higher strength and stiffness.
Types of Rubber Seals

Seal rings can be

1.u-shaped
2. v-shaped
3.o-shaped
4.metal inserted
5.radial lipped
6.multiple lipped
7.simple flat ring.
 O-RING
An O-ring is a circular loop of
elastomer with different possible cross
-sections used as a mechanical seal .
It is one of the most simple,
yet highly critical, precision mechanical
components ever developed. They are
designed to be seated in a groove and
compressed during assembly between
two or more parts, creating a seal at
the interface.
 O-rings are one of the most common seals
used in machine design because they are
inexpensive, easy to make, reliable, and have
simple mounting requirements. They can seal tons
of mega-pascals (thousands of psi) pressure.
 DESIGNATION
O-rings are usually characterized by material
(compound), durometer (Shore A hardness) and dash
number.
The dash number refers to a
specific inner diameter (I.D.), outer
diameter (O.D.) and cross section
(C.S.), based on the Society of
Automotive Engineers (SAE) Aero OD
space Size Standard for O-rings (AS568)

  Nominal Size Actual Size in Inches Actual in Millimeter

AS568  ID OD CS ID  CS ID CS

-010 1/4 3/8 1/16 .239+/-.005 .070+/-.003 6.07+/-0.13 1.78+/-0.08

 O-RINGS WITH DIFFERENT
CROSSECTIONS

CIRCULAR SQUARE X-SHAPE

POLY SEAL SPRING LOADED T SEAL S SEAL

PTFE SEAL
 TYPICAL APPLICATION

Successful O-ring joint design requires a rigid

mechanical mounting that applies a predictable deformation to
the O-ring. This introduces a calculated mechanical stress at
the O-ring contacting surfaces. As long as the pressure of the
fluid being contained does not exceed the contact stress of
the O-ring, leaking cannot occur.
Maintaining good surface finish of those mating parts is
important, especially at low temperatures where the seal
rubber reaches its glass transition temperature and becomes
increasingly hard.
 FAILURE MODES OF O-RING
O-ring materials may be subjected to:
 High or low temperatures
 Chemical attack
 Vibration and movement
 Abrasion

O-ring materials exist which can tolerate

temperatures as low as -100 C or as high as 250+ C.
At the low end nearly all engineering materials will turn
rigid and fail to seal, at the high end the materials will
often burn or decompose. Chemical attacks can
degrade the material, start brittle cracks or cause it to
swell.
 Oil Seal Selection
The characteristic shown below comprise the main aspects to consider
when selecting an oil seal, rubber seal, or other mechanical seal product.

Choosing a Tooled Seal

Information Required:
• Sealing Oil, Grease or Other Fluid

• Rotating or Reciprocating Motion

• Speed

• Temperature

• Pressure

• Eccentricity

 
 SELECTION OF ELASTOMER
 Mainly the fluid to be sealed and operating temperature
are the two most important selection criteria.
 Selection criteria
 Chemical Compatibility
 Application Temperature
 Sealing Pressure
 Lubrication Requirements
 Static or dynamic situation
 Cost
 Factors Affecting Seal Design and Performance

These include : –

 The fluid with which the seal will be in contact

 Anticipated operating temperature range – both high and low
 Pressure range and frequency range of application
 Clearance between mating component
 Degree of lubrication present
 Frequency and speed of relative motion
 Surface finish of adjacent component
 Method of handling and installation immediately prior to assemble.
 Rubber compound selection
 The compound should have following
properties,
 Correct hardness- generally high hardness
 Good abrasion resistance (for dynamic seal)
 Low compression set
 High Resistance to stress relaxation
 Preferably low swelling
 Minimum loss in properties on swelling
 Good age resistance
 Important aspects of rubber compounding
for seals
 Filler type and loading – Hardness & Swelling

 Plasticizer-Compatibility, Amount,
Hardness,Extractabilty by candidate oil, Low
temperature flexibility.

 Curing system- Curing type, crosslink density,

compression set, stress relaxation, swelling

 Age retarder-High temperature, Extractability

 COMMON& HIGH PERFORMANCE
ELASTOMERS FOR SEAL
 Natural Rubber(NR)
Styrene butadiene Rubber(SBR)
Ethylene propylene rubber(EPR/EPDM)

Silicone rubber (MQ)

Polycholoroprenne(CR)

Nitrile rubber (NBR) & modified nitriles(XNBR,HNBR)

Fluoroelastomers (FKM)
Polyacrylate rubber (ACM)

 Epchlorohydrine
 Other super high performance polymers
 Non polar elastomers
 Non polar elastomers like NR,SBR,EPR may find
application as seal based on their
good mechanical properties good heat resistance
and cost effectiveness. But not as hydrocarbon
oil seal.
CR has some oil resistance coupled with good
mechanical and heat resistance properties. But
relatively more costly than NBR.
 Fluid polymer interaction
Interaction of elastomer with fluid to be sealed is the most
important selection criteria.
Degree of swelling of a polymer by any liquid depends on
the difference in solubility parameters of solvent and
polymer.
Ex, Solvent Solubility parameter(Mpa1/2)
Hexane 7.3
Super grade petrol 8.1
Rubber
NR 8.0
EPDM 7.0
NBR 9.5-10.4
 Nitrile Rubber

Nitrile (NBR)

ADVANTAGES
Low cost
Good resistance to petroleum oils, water, silicone oils, greases,
glycol base fluids
Good abrasion resistance, cold flow, tear resistance

DISADVANTAGES
Poor resistance to ozone and weather aging
 Polyacrylate rubber

Polyacrylate (ACM)
ADVANTAGES
Good resistance to mineral oils, hypoid gear oils, E.P.
additives, greases, aging and flex cracking
Higher temperature limit than Nitrile

Disadvantages
Fair cold temperature limit
Lower mechanical strength
Costs slightly higher than Nitrile
Poor dry running ability, water resistance
 Silicone Rubber

Silicone (VMQ)

Advantages
Broad temperature resistance
Good ozone resistance
Resistant to compression set
Suitable for high temperature use

Disadvantages
Low resistance to hydrocarbon fluids like gasoline or paraffin fluids
or steam above 50 psi
Cost is higher than NBR, Polyacrylate
Poor resistance to wet heat
 Fluro Elstomer

Fluoroelastomer (FKM)
Advantages
Good temperature resistance
Resistant to wide range of fluids (
oils and fuels)
Commonly chosen as high temperature replacement of
Nitrile or Polyacrylate

Disadvantages
Fair resistance to water, dry running
Low temperature resistance is fair
Cost is high
PERFORMANCE
COMPARISON
 Seal Material Properties

Fuels Lube Hydraulic Brake Syn. FR Abrasion

Oils Fluids Fluids Lubes Fluids

Epichlorohydrin Yes Yes Yes No Ltd. No Good

Ethlene Acrylic No Yes Ltd. No No No Good
Ethlene propylene No No Yes Yes No Yes Good
Fluorocarbon Yes Yes Yes No Yes Ltd. Good
Fluorophosphaszene Yes Yes No No Yes Ltd. Fair
Fluorosilicone Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Poor
NBR Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Good
NBR (Carboxylated) No Yes Yes No Yes No Exc.
NBR (Hydrogenated) Yes Yes Yes No Yes No V.
Good
Neoprene No Yes Yes Yes No No Good
Polyacrylate No Yes No No No No Fair
Polyisoprene No No Yes Yes No No V.
Good
SBR No No Yes Yes No No Good
Silicone No Yes Yes Ltd. No No Poor

Notes

Fuels = Gasoline and high swell petroleum-based hydraulic oils

Lube oils = Engine and transmission oils, greases and lubricating oils
Hydraulic
Fluids = Water, alcohols and water based hydraulic fluids
Brake fluids = Glycol-based automotive brake fluids
 Effect of Heat on Sealing Performance

Over 90% of all cases where dynamic seals reach the end of their useful lives
are due to frictional heat build up. So, care should be taken for adequate
lubrication.

Due to heat, elastomer tends to harden and loose their elastic property. After
prolong exposure to high temperature, an elastomer may lose enough resilience
that it will not be able to tolerate slight eccentric motion of a rotating shaft and it
will crack.

So, care should be taken for

 Seal should be located as far as possible from the source of heat and insulated
from heat, if possible.

 Heat should be carried away, if the fluid in the system flows freely over the seals.
It is better than if the seals were isolated in some stagnant pocket. Rubber seal
operating under dynamic condition may generate some heat because of visco-
elastic nature.
 VOLUME SWELL IN FUEL-C

60

50
VOL. SWELL(%)

40
168 Hrs, 23 C

30

20

10

0
FKM NBR HNBR FVMQ
 OPERATING TEMPERATURE LIMITS
FKM
250
Si
Fluid Operating Temperature, (C)

200
ACM

150 HNBR

100

50

-70
 SERVICE TEMP. AND SERVICE LIFE
300

SiR
250 FKM

200
Service Temp. (C)

150
ACM

100

HNBR

50
NBR

100 1000 10,000

Service Life (hour)

(Service Life based on time to lose 80% of elongation
after ageing in air)
Materials For Oil-field Application

 CR, NBR
 FKM
 HNBR, XNBR
 FVMQ
 FFKM
COMPARISON OF SPECIALITY RUBBERS
NBR HNBR ACM Si FKM

Tensile Strength

Service Temp.(C) 120 150 175 200 250

Oil Resistance

Cold
Resistance
Ozone Resistance

Cost

Excellent Good Fair Poor

 Manufacture of Oil Seals

The manufacture of oil seals is outlined below : -

Metal Sheet or Strip Synthetic Rubber Compounding Ingredients
Cutting out discs Weighing out Weighing out
Raising and Piercing Mastication
Planishing and chamfering Mixing
Degreasing and Shot blasting Sheeting out
Calendering or extruding
Application of bonding agent
Cutting into strips or rings

Moulding

Rough trimming

Buffering or cutting of sealing edge

Grinding of metal case to required
tolerances
Assembly of helical spring onto seal

Inspection

Greasing and Packaging

 CONCLUSION
Selection of rubber for seal should be based on type of
solvent to be sealed and operating temperature.
For dry heat and non critical oil resistance MQ is chosen.
For most of the applications NBR can serve the purpose.
If oil contains sulfur, ACM is chosen instead of nitrile
rubber.
For stringent condition of temperature, and oil resitace
HNBR can be used instead of NBR.
For stringent condition of heat and oil FKM can serve
the purpose.
In extreme condition of heat and oil resistance FFKM,
FMQ may be used depending on situation.