Fluorocarbon O-Ring Aging Studies; An Initial Look

Aging and degradation of organic materials is a significant concern for engineers who aim to make decisions that affect safety, efficiency, reliability, and economics. One thrust of our research focuses on the development of high fidelity predictive models for changes in physical properties, based on empirical data measured in laboratory accelerated aging experiments. Our expertise provides engineers the scientific technical basis for decision making in high risk applications. The focus of this talk will employ lessons learned from previous O-ring aging studies on EPDM, butyl, and fluorosilicone materials and leverage them in our latest aging program of fluorocarbon materials. Three different commercially available fluorocarbon formulations are currently under investigation as part of a multi-year aging study.