Sealing Reference

Mechanical
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Design Guides

  • Seal Design Guide by Apple Rubber - PDF
  • O-ring Design Guide by Parker - PDF
    • See 4-18 for gland dimensions for standard static face seals.
  • Rotary Seal Design Guide by Parker - PDF

Seal Types

O-rings

Rotary seals

  • Video Overview of Rotary Lip Seals - Trelleborg
  • Friction torque of a rotary shaft lip type seal - a comparison between test results and finite element simulation - PDF (487.9 KB)
  • Rotary Dynamic Seals by Georgia Institute of Technology PDF (2.5 MB)
  • On the sealing mechanism of radial lip seals by Tribology International - PDF (561.0 KB)
  • Dynamic Sealing Principles by NASA PDF (9.4 MB)
  • Radial lip seals efficiency under dynamic operating conditions by International Conference on Tribology PDF (408.8 KB)
  • Detailed surface analysis of lip seal elastomers ran against shafts manufactured with triangular cavities - PDF (6.7 MB)
  • Thermal-Mechanical Coupled FE Analysis for Rotary Shaft Seals - PDF (3.6 MB)
  • Mechanical seal performance and related calculations - PDF (2.1 MB)
  • Numerical Investigation of the Effect of Radial Lip Seal Geometry on Sealing Performance - PDF (1.1 MB)

Bearing Isolators

Gaskets

Custom gaskets

You can injection mold complex gasket shapes in silicone rubber if your enclosure isn’t round or conforming to off-the-shelf solutions.

Polishing a mold with a small gasket cross-section may cause flash
You may be tempted to specify a polish on the gasket mold for sealing performance. If the gasket cross-section is smaller than your shop’s polishing tools, you may round the edges along the parting line, increasing flash.

Materials

Lubrication

Lubrication is typical in seal installations.

  • Improves seating.
  • Reduces pinching.
  • Helps with installing complex and delicate geometries by allowing the gasket to stick.
  • Swells the seal to improve sealing performance.

Chemical Compatibility Guides

  • Lubrication Compatibility Chart by Parker - PDF
  • Lubrication Compatibility Chart by Apple Rubber- PDF

Most silicone lubricants are not compatible with silicone rubber
They will lead to rapid degradation. Instead use a Barium-based grease or other purpose engineered formulation. McMaster sells a Barium grease compatible with silicone.

Medical

See Also