Third Paper: Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication of O-Ring Seals

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Abstract
The paper presents a theoretical solution to the ideal problem of an O-ring seal constructed of an isotropic elastic material moving at a constant axial velocity along a cylinder. By means of a standard solution for the elastic distortion of a circular section, and the inverse hydrodynamic theory proposed by Dowson and Higginson, compatible solutions for the hydrodynamic pressure and film shape between the seal and cylinder walls are obtained. It is shown that with a typical seal section taken from British Standard, with standard groove dimensions and ‘nip’, the sealing pressure, which is defined as the difference between the maximum pressure under the seal contact and the sealed pressure, remains independent of the sealed pressure. The net leakage past the seal, which is the difference between the fluid flow across the seal when it is ‘pumping’ against the pressure and that when the seal is ‘motoring’ or moving with the pressure, is shown to increase with sealed pressure. The results are presented in non-dimensional form to generalize their application.

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