Analysis of the Sealing Performance of a Concave O-Ring Groove

Abstract

In industrial plants and pressurized equipment, leakage control and prevention are key tasks in preventive maintenance programs. The most critical element in these types of equipment is the seals. Several types of seals are used and the most popular are flat seals and O-rings. Two conditions affect the proper functioning of the seals: the mounting configuration and the initial loading parameters during operation. In this work, the analysis of the mechanical and leakage behaviour of the O-ring seal, when installed either in a cylindrical concave groove or in a rectangular one, is presented. Two finite element models were developed with Ansys software to study the behaviour of the assemblies in both cases when the clamping load is applied and when the assembly is pressurized. The results of the numerical models are compared to the analytical approach based on Hertz's contact theory. This study shows that the use of a cylindrical concave groove for mounting elastomeric O-rings can improve sealing in pressurized systems.