Better Sealing Through FEA

Combining test data with finite-element methods lets engineers accurately predict seal performance and life. • Trellebor engineers compared test data and FEA for many common plastics and elastomers. • Results show FEA is a good way to predict seal behavior. Finite-element analysis (FEA) has come of age for those who design and use seals. It lets engineers study the viscoelastic effects of elastomers and plastics on seal and bearing performance, and predict life and failure. It's leading to seals that cost less and perform better than the ones they replace. Here's an overview of how our company developed and validated FEA methods for comparing common sealing polymers. All plastics and elastomers inherently move and deform under load, a behavior generally called . It is most commonly known as creep and stress relaxation. is the increase in deformation or strain under a constant load/stress. is the decay of stress over time while material is under a constant strain. Stress relaxation and creep can significantly affect seal shape, deformation, and performance. Stress relaxation reduces the force or stress exerted by the seal on adjacent surfaces. And