Perhaps the most famous O-ring failure in history is that of the Challenger space shuttle, which ended the lives of seven NASA astronauts in January 1986. In the shuttle’s right rocket booster, a seal failed at the aft field joint that led to the spacecraft exploding. It was later found that the O-ring didn’t have… Read more »
In the mid-1990s, as craft beers began to take over an increasing proportion of the US beer market, a giant Colorado brewer developed a novel advertising campaign. Developed in 1989 by the Adolph Coors Company as a light lager, the Keystone Light ad campaign attacked “bitter beers” and promoted Keystone Light as capable of getting… Read more »
Rubbers used in manufacturing medical-grade o-rings, tubing, seals, and like parts found in medical applications and devices are subject to different quality standards than rubbers used in other industries. Though rubber is a natural product, most rubbers on the market today are made of different elastomers, and synthetic polymers with elastic properties. Food-grade and medical-grade… Read more »
EPDM chemical compatibility with fluids is critical for achieving reliable, long-lasting performance in any sealing application. The material’s chemical compatibility and other unique resistance properties make EPDM well-suited for a wide range of industrial products. The high-density synthetic rubber, or elastomer, is composed of three monomers—ethylene, propylene, and a small percentage of diene—from its name—EPDM… Read more »
When it is time to replace a seal, knowing the differences between a gasket vs. o-ring is essential for the application to function as designed. Each type of mechanical seal is used in numerous applications ranging from engines, motors, machines, and pumps to cylinders, piping, valves, tools, equipment, and so on. Both gaskets and o-rings… Read more »
Rubber materials are vital to modern industrial societies. And, as with any industry, rubber engineering has its own language of common terms used to define its products and processes. Though “rubber” originated from the natural milky white latex sap derived from the rubber tree, today’s rubbers are made of synthetic elastomers, a type of polymer… Read more »
Boat dock bumpers are shock-absorbing devices used in fendering systems on dockage at marinas and ports. The proper use of dock bumpers (also referred to as a dock fender) helps protect boats, as well as the dock, from damage caused by incidental or unintentional impacts by the boat or boaters, or from the bumping and… Read more »
Considered an industry-standard, silicone O-rings hold excellent mechanical properties that perform in the most extreme conditions. Silicone materials, in general, are exceptionally versatile. The material is not only used in the fabrication of seals, gaskets, and O-rings, but in numerous other applications such as adhesives, lubricants, thermal and electrical insulation, and in medical devices, and… Read more »
Most people scarcely give a thought to mundane items like rubber bushings. Unless you are an expert in the field, you would never know they are in the machinery and products you use when running at peak efficiency. The layman often learns their importance when something mechanical breaks down or begins to operate poorly.
When it comes to forces able to deteriorate mechanical components, one of the most destructive is heat. Because of this, it is especially important to make components for such applications from compounds that can withstand a high temperature. O-rings are mechanical gaskets shaped like doughnuts, made from an elastomer loop with round cross-sections that are designed to… Read more »
