A Leakage Prediction Model for Sealing Performance Assessment of EPDM O-Rings under Irradiation Conditions

In this work, a model for predicting the leakage rate was developed to investigate the effect of irradiation on the sealing performance of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) O-rings. The model is based on a mesoscopic interfacial gap flow simulation and accurately predicts the sealing performance of irradiated and non-irradiated materials by utilizing the gap height as an indicator in a mechanical simulation of the O-ring under operating conditions. A comparison with vacuum test results indicates that the model is a good predictor of leak initiation. The positive pressure leakage of the O-rings was investigated numerically. The results show the following. The sealing performance of the non-irradiated O-ring is much better than that of the irradiated one. The sealing performance is the worst at 0. 713 MGy and the best at 1.43 MGy, and the seal is maintained at an absorbed dose of 3.55 MGy. A theoretical analysis of the non-monotonic variation using the proposed model shows that the leakage behavior of the O-rings depends not only on the material properties but also on the roughness and prestressing properties. Finally, a method was proposed to classify the sealing performance, using the maximum allowable leakage rate as an indicator.