Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2006-04-08 13:46
Chris P wrote:
> I've just encountered another O-ring application, but not for
> the best - this time on a Leblanc Sonata (and probably some
> others higher up their line) - the thumb bush is threaded and
> sealed ONLY with an O-ring at the shoulder
Bouys & gulls,
Let's stop this misconception of o-rings being bad seals. I spent a few years as an engineer in hydraulic systems at nuclear plants. Well-designed o-ring systems have very, very few failures - that's why they're used so often in all industries. They can stand motion (linear, rotating) with little assembly/disassembly pressure.
BUT - they have to be well designed - the grooves have to be correctly created for the application, the o-ring material chosen for the right purpose, and dimensions of the o-ring have to be correct, and the two surfaces you wish to join need to be created with the proper tolerance and other characteristics.
In other words, slapping an o-ring into a badly cut groove and over-squeezing it is a sure way for early failure.
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