O'ring face seal using Al material 1

[Rocketmann]

Any good tips on making o'ring face seals better. I need the following: metal to oring interface with high sealing quality. Cannot be tounge and groove but does incorproate a dovetail to caputure the oring. Any suggestions or ref. websites appreciated.

 

[DanCo9]

If you have time, go to dogpile.com, and search for 'rubber seals and o-rings'. Pretty much go down the list requesting engineering tips and catalogs. Most will have basic specs in their literature. As for specifically applying to your face seal problem, my experience is with high pressures and brake fluid, so take the advice as it works for you:
1. keep all corners from being sharp, especially in the dovetail. The o-ring will roll like a torus under high pressure and peel just like a log in a plywood factory.
2. allow for expansion of the joint, and some extrusion of the rubber between sealing surfaces. (avoid thin wall sections on the low pressure side, as they will cut when the joint settles)
3. watch for chatter in the machined surfaces
4. Don't try too much overcompression of the ring, because you just end up with pinching during assembly. Let the seal do its job as recommended by the mfg.
5. Not necessarily least important, make sure the seal material is compatible with the local outside environment, not just the contained material.
6. Don't get too cheap on the cross-section size. Robustness comes after the seal starts to wear, not when new.
7. Watch your temperature recommendations. Feynman wasn't joking that time.

 

[sprintcar]

try this site - it has design info

http://www.efunda.com/designstandards/oring/calc_oring_radial.cfm/

Keep the wheels down...

 

[Mize]

I have found that following the manufacturer's guidelines (Parker, Apple, etc.) work if the o-rings are placed in the groove correctly. However, it is very easy to get stretch or compression with some o-ring materials, particularily when used on a long span or large diameter. In these instances where the o-ring has a large ID, I tend to "over stuff" the groove slightly. Pay close attention to bolt spacing and the stiffness of the interace. A soft interface does not allow even compression of the o-ring material and is one of the causes for leak failure.