Static and Dynamic Sealing Performance Analysis of Rubber D-Ring Based on FEM

Abstract

In order to study the performance of the dynamic seal and static seal of D-ring, the FEM models of D-ring and O-ring were built, and the process of reciprocating seal of the D-ring was simulated. In addition, the effects of pre-compression, medium pressure, friction coefficient, and rubber hardness on sealing performance were discussed. The friction coefficients between rubber sealing ring and steel part, under different lubrication conditions, were measured through the experiment. The results show that, in static seal, the maximum contact stress of the D-ring increases with the increasing of pre-compression, friction coefficient, medium pressure, and rubber hardness. Besides, O-ring can be well replaced by D-ring in static seal. Since it can avoid distortion and twisting effectively in reciprocating dynamic seal and prolong its working life, D-ring has a better sealing performance in reciprocating seal than O-ring. As the friction coefficient grows, the amplitude of the maximum contact stress fluctuation increases as well as the fluctuation of the cross-section deformation which has a bad influence on sealing performance and fatigue life of the D-ring.