O ring groove design

Jan 28, 2009 7 Replies

I'm trying to improve the performance of the water pump in my steam powered cycle. It consists opf a 7/16" aluminum piston witrh 2 O rings at the end operating in a bronze cylinder. I'm using a clearence of .001" between the piston and cylinder. The dimension of the rings is 7/16 od X 5/16 id X 1/16 thick. I've been having leakage problems and have tried O ring grooves that had a square cross section a d half round. I'm looking for info on the best shape and tolerance for the grooves. I can't seem to find anything in Machinery's handbook. Engineman



formatting link


Been a while since I did much O ring work. But Parker did have the tables you need

How about using a cup style seal? They are common in brake master cylinders.

The Parker o-ring handbook is available as a 9 MB download.

formatting link

There's a certain amount of compression necessary to get an effective seal with an o-ring. The necessary data is pretty well covered in the book, as well as gland dimensions for static and dynamic seals, chemical compatibility, etc.

Pete Keillor

Thanx, Don. Duly bookmarked for future reference.

formatting link

Quad rings might be a better solution. They seal better and last longer in most applications.

John

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required