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Metal-to-metal seals

Article in Sealing Technology · April 2004

DOI: 10.1016/S1350-4789(04)00121-7

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 FEATURE
Metal-to-metal seals:
the innovative route
in static sealing
Michel Lefrançois, Research & Development Manager – Sealing Technology
Business, Garlock Sealing Technologies
Process developments over the past 30 years, demanding ultrahigh vacuum, high
temperatures and high pressures, have driven the need for advanced technology
seals. This article explains how metal-to-metal gaskets have evolved to comply
with the most demanding requirements and provide both resilience and low
assembly forces.
The evolution of sealing
technology
Thirty years ago, achieving a minimum leak rate
was far from being the primary concern of the
sealing industry. Since the start of the industrial
era, sealing had mostly been about trying to
meet operational requirements and reach accept-
able system efficiency; a steam engine would not
work unless the correct pressure and temperature
conditions were met.
As systems evolved and pressure demands
became higher, safety became a major issue,
leading to the implementation of codes and
standards as we know them today. But sealing
issues, typically on bolted flanges, often
remained an afterthought. At the design
stage, the seal or gasket would remain a
black spot on the assembly drawing, and
would only be specified at the final stages
Figure 1. The principle of the non-metal-to-
metal gasket.
10
against vaguely defined gasket mechanical
characteristics.
Of the two distinct working principles for sta-
tic seals, the non-metal-to-metal or ‘elastomeric’
concept, gasket or ‘O’ ring is the oldest and the
most straightforward (Figure 1). The more load
or pressure exerted on one given interface, the
more plastic deformation occurs that fills surface
defects, preventing fluids passing through the
interface. The gasket is designed to take all of the
plastic deformation needed, rather than the joint
faces. Limitations in this sealing principle are
continually being addressed as sealing materials
evolve. In the world of elastomer materials, tech-
nological developments have enabled sealing
issues to be addressed differently. When used to
seal flanges, elastomers tend to creep away when
the load becomes too high, but the viscoelastic
properties of the material are such that it does
not require a high load to ensure a sealing func-
tion, assuming it has an adequate profile.
A bolted flange assembly typically consists of
three essential types of component: flanges, seal
or gasket, and bolts. These must achieve a dual
function:
• ensure mechanical integrity; and
• maintain leak-tightness.
Only one of these two functions had any real
focus of attention, that of mechanical integrity,
and all existing codes and standards around the
world were built on that basis.[1]
What happened 30 years ago to make the
trend change? A combination of several process
requirements created new demands – nuclear
power generation, high-technology systems
using ultra-high vacuum (UHV) and extreme
pressures and temperatures, and environmental
awareness. Official laboratories also began to
study joint behaviour, and came to the conclu-
sion that one component remained unknown –
the seal.
Metal-to-metal versus
non-metal-to-metal seals
Metal-to-metal systems developed over the past
30 years have addressed many limitations of
non-metal-to-metal seals. However, the adop-
tion of the metal-to-metal concept has remained
marginal in its range of applications.
This is mainly attributed to the then-new
process demands of nuclear and UHV applica-
tions that re-assigned the priorities on the
approval of the most commonly used seals and
gaskets already defined in existing codes and stan-
dards. Therefore the ‘non-metal-to-metal’ con-
cept – which had been the ‘historical standard’ –
became the only method studied at this decisive
point.
Extensive work carried out in particular by the
Pressure Vessel Research Council (PVRC) and
the Tightness Testing & Research Laboratory
(TTRL), the Materialprüfanstalt in Stuttgart
(Materials Testing Institute, MPA), BHR Group
in the UK and CETIM in France has led to new
standards.[2] New gasket factors, and the test
procedures leading to the evaluation of those fac-
tors, are now available.
Such factors take into account the nature of
media, pressure, temperature and tightness class.
Considerable effort has been put into being able
to control and successfully predict the behaviour
of a joint in every situation.
Main aspects of the non-
metal-to-metal concept
Flat-face, male-and-female and tongue-and-
groove sections are standard designs for the non-
metal-to-metal concept (Figure 2). The very few
modifications introduced over the years – such
as going from flat-face to male-and-female –
have essentially been safety-related.
There has been no major development in
the construction and principle of these seals and
Sealing Technology April 2004

Figure 2. Standard non-metal-to-metal gasket
assemblies.
gaskets since they were first introduced. Only the
materials have changed, following the technolog-
ical and environmental trends.
As an example, asbestos replacement becom-
ing a key issue has driven the introduction of vir-
gin PTFE, the development of restructured
PTFE and flexible graphite as sealing materials
on the widest possible scale.
For all non-metal-to-metal gaskets, when
compressed between two flanges at the assembly
stage (Figure 3), there is a relationship between
the load exerted by the bolts (F) and the reaction
load exerted by the gasket (Fj).
The initial gasket reaction (Fj) is modified
over the whole life of the joint by a more or less
unpredictable load (Fext) resulting from the var-
ious internal and/or external strains to which it
will be exposed. These include hardware
weight, vacuum, pressure, external bending
moments and thermal transients. Depending
on the application, the initial gasket reaction
will be either increased, decreased or both. It is
up to the gasket, which is typically the most
heterogeneous component of the joint, to adapt
itself to all types of load variations, including
extreme and unpredicted ones, with the obvi-
ous risk of aggravating creep-relaxation or dete-
riorating tightness level.
Sealing Technology April 2004
FEATURE
Figure 3. Load distribution on a non-metal-to-metal gasket in a bending moment situation.
Main aspects of the Low loading metallic seal
metal-to-metal concept The demanding requirements of the nuclear
power industry led the French national
Screening all or part of the external limitations so
nuclear energy agency Commissariat à l’Én-
that they do not interfere with gasket seating
ergie Atomique (CEA) and Garlock to develop
requirements therefore appears to be a logical
and complete a major development in metal
approach. Hence the metal-to-metal principle,
sealing technology, at their joint research labo-
where seal compression is limited to a set value
ratory in Pierrelatte, France. Strictly based on
by means of a spacer or a groove (Figure 4).
the metal-to-metal concept, this innovative
From the seal and gasket design standpoint,
the approach is the following:
• Regardless of its design and base materials,
metallic or composite, seal compression has to
be predetermined based on the required seal-
ing performance, and this value is used for the
dimensioning of the limiting device.
• The load exerted by the bolts has to be suffi-
cient to bring the joint to a mechanical stop
on the limiting device.
• Any amount of additional loading exerted
once the mechanical stop has been reached
does not affect the gasket at all, and the com-
pression-limiting device takes over as a load-
bearing component.
• As a minimum requirement, the load exerted
by the bolts has to be high enough over the
whole life of the joint to ensure mechanical
contact.
• The loading consistency on the gasket, and
the reaction load exerted by the gasket, must
be constant over the gasket periphery, provid-
ed that contact is maintained with the
mechanical stop.
At this time metal-to-metal contact is still not
addressed by the latest bolted flange calculation
codes. However, work is in progress to this effect.
Related gasket characterization methods allow-
ing determination of all parameters necessary for
flange and gasket calculation are available Figure 4. Typical metal-to-metal seal
through a number of specialist manufacturers, assemblies.
such as Garlock.
11
 FEATURE
Figure 5. The Ultraflex metal seal.
technology maximizes sealing performance
while minimizing seating load (Figure 5).
Developed as a result of requirements initiated
by several major industrial sectors, the aim for
this seal was to comply with specifications that
apparently contradicted basic sealing principles.
The demand was to associate limited compres-
sion load with high performance, in spite of the
fundamental metal-to-metal sealing principle,
which states that performance is proportional to
the contact stress at the interface between the
seal and flanges.
Over the last 30 years, metal seals have gained
significant market share in high-technology
fields such as aerospace, nuclear and high-perfor-
mance engines. These metal seals offer a very
high level of sealing performance,[3] excellent
resistance to corrosive fluids, and extended life at
extreme temperatures. However, in certain mar-
kets limitations can be imposed as a result of the
very high loads required to achieve the high
degree of sealing performance.
In 1983, the introduction of the Helicoflex
Delta reduced the required tightening load
by a factor of two. This was significant, but
still 10 times the loading levels of elastomeric
O-rings. As a result, these seals have achieved
limited penetration in industries where hard-
ware issues such as weight, compactness and
accessibility are paramount. Consequently,
highly sensitive sectors such as the semicon-
ductor industry have continued to use elas-
tomeric sealing solutions.
Addressing these high load limitations, a ‘C’
section metal seal – called Ultraflex – was devel-
oped. This design offers the user improvements
in the areas of both high and low temperature
resistance, improved tightness, lower permeability,
12
zero out-gassing, reduced contamination, and
improved chemical resistance.
Technology development
The objective for the development team was to
combine low seating load (reduced by a factor of
five), high sealing performance, and ultrahigh
cleanliness in a metal seal. The challenge was to
find a way to eliminate the helical spring that
characterizes seal designs such as the Helicoflex,
by using an inner lining with adequate spring-
back capacity.
Two new elastic profiles, allowing major load
reduction, were defined: one with a closed
cross-section, the other with an open ‘C’ cross-
section. However, the deformation of such pro-
files occurs either as a ‘figure 8’ shape for the
closed version, or in an asymmetrical manner
for the open one. Both are detrimental to seal-
ing performance.
This led to the idea of offsetting the contact
ridges in order to have them positioned at the
main reaction axis when the optimum deflection
is achieved.
Another innovative feature, enabling maxi-
mum performance, relates to material combi-
nation. Major high-technology industries such
as vacuum, semiconductor and aerospace
require light metallic materials, with alumini-
um the most commonly used. The challenge
with such a material resides in the fact that it
cannot be bonded onto other metallic sub-
strates with guaranteed low porosity and
acceptable hardness. Therefore, instead of
bonding, a simple forming technique is used to
keep the soft sealing material (aluminium, sil-
ver, copper) attached to the elastic substrate.
High-performance static
seal for very high
temperatures
This three-year European project involving CEA
and Garlock, together with six other R&D and
industrial partners – ICT Fraunhofer in
Germany, SCI in Sweden, IRD in Denmark,
Wärtsilä in Finland, Chematur in Sweden and
Aquasolv in Germany – was completed in 2003.
It resulted in a new gasket concept for very
high-temperature applications that embraces
various systems primarily related to power gener-
ation, such as fuel cells, gas turbines and nuclear
reactors.
The technology on which the latest product
was developed relies on:
• The metal-to-metal concept.
• Separation between plastic and elastic defor-
mations, tightness versus spring-back.
• Customizable spring load characteristics.
• Concentration of the seating stress via indi-
rect knife-edge contact through the sealing
material.
• Prevention of diffusion welding at very high
temperature by the use of coating solutions.
Designed for service temperatures up to 1000°C
(1830°F) and service pressures up to 100 bar
(1500 psi), the maximum leak rate at maximum
temperature is 1 × 10–8 cm3/s He at a differen-
tial pressure of 1 bar.
From the mechanical viewpoint, the loading
requirements are low compared to the most
commonly known low-temperature, high-per-
formance metal seals.
Depending on the service pressure, the seal is
designed from 100 N/mm to 300 N/mm linear
load. This is defined as load per unit length of
seal circumference calculated on mean diameter.
Spring-back at maximum temperature is at 35%
of deflection. For example, a seal of 6 mm
height compressed by 0.8 mm features a total
spring-back of close to 0.3 mm.
The seal construction is based around a
graphite core that provides excellent spring-back
and deflection properties, as well as an ability to
withstand temperatures beyond 1000°C. Two
metal cups moving axially relative to one anoth-
er during seal compression control the die-
formed graphite ring (Figure 6).
The graphite ring and metal cup assembly is
encapsulated by hermetically laser-welding, to
prevent any risk of high-temperature oxidation.
This process is carried out because the upper
temperature limit of exposed graphite is sub-
stantially reduced. The whole assembly is then
sealed with an envelope of the actual metal seal-
ing material, depending on the application.
The sealing function relies on the ridges
machined on the external face of the spring
metal cups acting through the sealing envelope,
to concentrate the seating load over a limited
contact area, thus maximizing the seating stress.
Sealing Technology April 2004

Figure 6. The new metal seal concept with a graphite core, Ultraseal.
Conclusions
As technology places ever more complex
demands on manufacturing processes, so the
need for greater integrity is imposed on compo-
nents. The past 30 years have seen major
advances in all areas, in particular in sealing
technology.
Developments that are based around the
Patents
Metal end cap seal with O-rings, for oil well casings
Applicant: Cooper Cameron
Corporation, USA
This invention relates to a metal
end cap seal for sealing the
annulus between a pair of oil
well casings. It is intended to
offer improved sealing capabil-
ities over an increased range of
temperatures. The seal has a
resilient ring with metal end caps
on either end. The inner dia-
meter of the resilient ring has
one or more grooves that
enable the installation of one or
more O-rings. The O-rings are
sized to provide increased stored
energy within the resilient ring,
so that the sealing engagement
is increased.
Patent number: WO 03/095872
Inventor: K.E. Keene
Publication date: 20 November 2003
Sealing Technology April 2004
View publication stats
PATENTS
References
1. Standards of: American Society of
Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Deutsches
Institut für Normung (DIN), Code de
Construction des Appareils à Pression
(Construction Code for Pressure Vessels,
CODAP), and French Nuclear Piping Code
(RCCM).
2. Research carried out by the Pressure Vessel
Research Council (PVRC), the Tightness
Testing & Research Laboratory (TTRL), the
Materialprüfanstalt in Stuttgart (Materials
Testing Institute, MPA), BHR Group Ltd in
the UK, and the Centre Technique des
Industries Mécaniques (Technical Centre
of Mechanical Engineering, CETIM) in
France. [The new gasket material standards
were described in Sealing Technology in
August 2003.]
3. Helicoflex leakage of 1 × 10–11 standard cubic
centimetres per second of helium.
Contacts:
In the US: Garlock Sealing Technologies, 1666
metal-to-metal sealing concept have enabled
the nuclear power industry to meet stringent
Division Street, Palmyra, NY 14522, USA. Tel: +1
315 597 4811, Fax: +1 315 597 3173, Email:
safety demands, and also help the semiconduc- John.Kahren@garlock.com, Web: www.garlock.net
tor industry to achieve the high temperatures
and ultrahigh vacuum levels essential to In Europe: Garlock (Great Britain) Ltd, Premier Way,
increase yields. Lowfields Business Park, Elland, West Yorkshire
The challenge now is for design engineers to HX5 9HF, UK. Tel: +44 1422 313600, Fax: + 44
embrace the technology and benefit from its 1422 313601, Email: stuart.phythian@garlock.com,
many advantages. Web: www.garlock.eu.com
Piston seal ring for rotary applications
Applicant: NOK Corporation, files are illustrated in the patent.
Japan The design can create a sealing
This patent describes a piston ring contact line part way up the back
design that is particularly suitable face of the piston ring.
for rotary applications. The groove Patent number: WO 03/100301
has tapered sides, and the piston Inventors: K. Umetsu and
ring profile has a relief towards the N. Eguchi
base. A number of different pro- Publication date: 4 December 2003
Cross-section of the metal end
cap seal in WO 03/095872, Example of the step profiled piston ring in a tapered groove described
showing the O-ring. in WO 03/100301.
13