Time-Variant Reliability Analysis for Rubber O-Ring Seal Considering Both Material Degradation and Random Load.

Area of Science:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Reliability Engineering

Background:

• Rubber O-ring seals in hydraulic systems are critical for machine reliability.
• Increased working hours can lead to degradation of material properties and load randomization, affecting seal performance.
• Traditional analysis methods often consider material or seal properties in isolation, failing to capture combined failure mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the combined effects of material property degradation and load randomization on rubber O-ring seal reliability.
• To develop a time-variant reliability model for O-ring seals in hydraulic systems.
• To predict the service life of O-ring seals and assess the impact of oil pressure.

Main Methods:

• Defining material failure and seal failure based on two key factors.
• Conducting experiments to determine time-variant material properties.
• Monitoring processing to obtain load distribution data.
• Calculating compressive and contact stresses.
• Integrating stress calculations with a reliability model to determine time-variant reliability.

Main Results:

• The study successfully developed a time-variant reliability model for O-ring seals.
• Calculated compressive and contact stresses were used to predict seal reliability over time.
• The model predicted an O-ring lifetime of 12 months.
• The predicted lifespan showed credibility when compared with actual maintenance workshop replacement records.

Conclusions:

• The combined analysis of material degradation and load randomization provides a more accurate assessment of O-ring seal reliability.
• The developed reliability model offers a credible method for O-ring life prediction in hydraulic systems.
• Findings support informed maintenance scheduling and replacement strategies for hydraulic system components.