Time-depending Reliability Analysis of O-ring Sealing Performance

Abstract

Abstract O-rings are commonly used due to their simple structure and excellent performance. However, the time-dependent creep behavior of rubber during usage can significantly impact the working performance and service life of the O-ring. The phenomenological creep constitutive model establishes a relationship between the deformation of rubber materials under creep conditions and time, by incorporating a creep function that considers the significance of damage. Based on the phenomenological creep constitutive model, we establish a simulation model for the contact pressure of an engine O-ring. This model characterizes the time-dependent degradation process of the O-ring’s sealing performance by tracking the variation of contact pressure and contact surface width over time. To account for the randomness of rubber material model parameters and compression amount, we develop a time-dependent reliability analysis model for the O-ring using the first-order second-moment (FOSM) method. The research findings can establish a theoretical foundation for the assessment, analysis, and evaluation of O-ring sealing’s time-dependent reliability.