Determination of spring modulus for several types of elastomeric materials (O-rings) and establishment of an open database for seals

摘要

Seals that provide the containment system interface between the packaging body and closure must function in high and low temperature environments, under dynamic and static loading conditions, and with different types of contained media. It is one of the most critical elements in the container since the container fails to meet regulations if the seal does not function properly. A research and testing program for seal materials was initiated at Sandia in 1988 with the goal of characterizing the behavior of seal materials commonly used in packages conditions as specified in the regulations (NRC IOCFR Part 71) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 14.5. The performance of elastomeric seals in undeformed closures at both high and low temperatures has been investigated (Bronowski 1995). Work has begun with this program to determine the response of elastomeric seals to fast acting dynamic deformations'' in the closure. The response of elastomeric o-ring seals during closure movements due to long-term deformations has already been characterized. What has not been well characterized are short-term closure movements with durations of only a few milliseconds that result in the so called ''burp'' release. Methods for generating this type of response in a repeatable manner had not been developed and standard leak detection equipment does not have a fast enough response time to measure these transient events. One factor which affects the length of the burp is the ability of the o-ring to quickly close the gap to prevent a significant leak. The dynamic characteristics of the elastomeric o-ring material including the dynamic spring modulus and internal damping are directly related to its ability to quickly close the gap. A set of tests designed to determine the dynamic properties for various material types and durometers (hardness) of elastomers that were both lubricated and dry at ambient temperature were conducted.