Sealing Elements

Technical Handbook O-rings

13. O-ring Assembling Conditions

Installation tips
The following instructions must be observed when installing
O-rings:
Assembly must be done with care so that the O-ring is properly
placed in the groove and is not damaged when the gland is
closed.
• Always check the O-ring elastomer material first. Briefly check
the cross section and inside diameter before installing the
O-ring.
• Cleanliness is important for proper seal action and long O-ring
life. Foreign particles in the gland may cause leakage and can
damage the O-ring .
• Never glue the O-rings in the groove; there is a risk for chemi-
cal attack and hardening. An alternative is to use mounting
grease. First, however, check the chemical compatibility.
&IG  
• For problem free assembly of O-rings it is important that metal
parts are rounded and free from sharp areas. Never force the
O-ring over sharp threads, keyways, slots and other sharp
edges.
• Do not use sharp tools, use an O-ring assembling aid to avoid
damage.
• ID stretch as installed in a groove may not be more than 5-6%,
because more stretch will reduce and flatten the cross section
and thus reduce the squeeze.
• ID expansion to reach the groove during assembly should not
exceed 50%. For very small diameters, it may be necessary to
exceed this limit. If so, one should allow sufficient time for the
O-ring to return to its normal size before closing the gland.
• Prevent the O-ring from being twisted. Twisting during installa-
tion may occur with O-rings having a large ratio of ID to cross
section.
• Check the roughness of the counter surface.
• For removal of O-rings use an O-ring tool kit to prevent the
metal surface or O-ring from being damaged.

For Cylinders:
-INIMUM   MM

-INIMUM   MM

2ADIUS MIN   MM

   
! " ! "

The O-ring is damaged Easy assembling Recommended Also this construction

by sharp edges construction can be used
(low pressure only)

&IG  

For Piston Seals

#YLINDER 2ADIUS   MM

2OD

-INIMUM

 MM
!   "

Chamfered parts can solve assembling problems

162

All the information in this documentation has been compiled with the greatest of care.
Despite this we can bear no responsibility whatsoever for any errors present in the documentation. The recommendations are intended as guidelines.
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 Sealing Elements
Technical Handbook O-rings

13. O-ring Assembling Conditions

Lubrication Compression Forces

For static and dynamic applications lubricated parts are impor-
tant for ease of assembly. Silicone grease has to be used for
lubricating EPDM.
Please bear in mind that silicone grease is not recommended for
VMQ.
The force required to compress an O-ring is related to the
material compound, the hardness, the amount of squeeze,
the cross section of the O-ring, and the temperature of the
application. The anticipated load for a given installation is
not fixed, but falls within a range of values.

The tables indicate approximate force requirements at 20°C

(70°F) for different percentages of squeeze on 70 and 90
O-rings.

90
40%
70

90
30%
70
A
% compression

90
e
or

20%
Sh

70
ss
ne
rd
ha

90
10%
70

90
5%
70

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 60 80 100 200 300 400 600

50 70 90 500
cross section .070 (1,78mm) compression load Newton per linear cm

163

All the information in this documentation has been compiled with the greatest of care.
Despite this we can bear no responsibility whatsoever for any errors present in the documentation. The recommendations are intended as guidelines.
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 Sealing Elements
Technical Handbook O-rings

13. O-ring Assembling Conditions

90
40%
70

90
30%
70
A
% compression

90
or

20%
Sh
s
es

70
n
rd
ha

90
10%
70

90
5%
70

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 60 80 100 200 300 400 600 8001000

50 70 90 500 700 900
cross section .103 (2,62mm) compression load Newton per linear cm

90
40%
70

90
30%
70
A
% compression

90
or

20%
Sh
ss

70
ne
rd
ha

90
10%
70

90
5%
70

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 60 80 100 200 300 400 600 8001000

50 70 90 500 700 900

164 cross section .139 (3,53 mm) compression load Newton per linear cm

All the information in this documentation has been compiled with the greatest of care.
Despite this we can bear no responsibility whatsoever for any errors present in the documentation. The recommendations are intended as guidelines.
www.eriks.info
 Sealing Elements
Technical Handbook O-rings

13. O-ring Assembling Conditions

90
40%
70

30% 90
70
A
% compression

90
or

20%
Sh
s

70
es
n
rd
ha

90
10%
70

90
5%
70

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 60 80 100 200 300 400 600 8001000

50 70 90 500 700 900
cross section .210 (5,33 mm) compression load Newton per linear cm

90
40%
70

30% 90
70
A
% compression

90
or

20%
Sh
s

70
es
r dn
ha

90
10%
70

90
5%
70

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 60 80 100 200 300 400 600 8001000

50 70 90 500 700 900
cross section .275 (7 mm) compression load Newton per linear cm 165

All the information in this documentation has been compiled with the greatest of care.
Despite this we can bear no responsibility whatsoever for any errors present in the documentation. The recommendations are intended as guidelines.
www.eriks.info
 Sealing Elements
Technical Handbook O-rings

13. O-ring Assembling Conditions

Deforming Forces for O-rings

N per cm
This graph indicates the deforming
160 force to be used for different
90 hardnesses and compounds.

90
/EU
140 90

BR
EU 0
AU

/ R8
N
AU NB
120
Force on Total o-ring

100 0
R7
NB
80 90
NBR

60 80
NBR
0
40 NBR 7

20

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
cross section in mm

How to Avoid Damage by O-ring Mounting

15° to 20°
15° to 20°

15° to 20° x>y

How to Avoid Sharp Edges

‘Z’

Use of Sleeve

166

All the information in this documentation has been compiled with the greatest of care.
Despite this we can bear no responsibility whatsoever for any errors present in the documentation. The recommendations are intended as guidelines.
www.eriks.info
 Sealing Elements
Technical Handbook O-rings

13. O-ring Assembling Conditions

Maximum stretch at Installation

The DIN 3771 Part 5 describes the maximum stretch of the O-ring inner diameter after
installation.

16

14
dynamic
Stretch in % of the inside diameter

12 static
static and dynamic
10

0
0 4,5 4,87 13,2 14 38,7 40 97,5 100 200 206 250 258 400 670
Inside diameter in mm

Surface Roughness

The surface roughness is an important factor when determining the life of an O-ring.
Our experience suggests the following roughnesses:

Gases:
contact surface: Ra < 0,4 µm
non contact surface: Ra < 1,6 µm

Fluids:
contact surface: Ra < 0,8 µm
non contact surface: Ra < 1,6 µm

Vacuum:
contact surface : Ra < 0,4 µm
non contact surface: Ra < 1,6 µm

167

All the information in this documentation has been compiled with the greatest of care.
Despite this we can bear no responsibility whatsoever for any errors present in the documentation. The recommendations are intended as guidelines.
www.eriks.info
 Sealing Elements
Technical Handbook O-rings

13. O-ring Assembling Conditions

Stretch or squeeze for O-ring I.D.

An O-ring that is too small may be stretched slightly for installation. This
stretch results in some reduction of the cross section diameter of the
O-ring material. Figure 25 indicates the approximate percentage the cross
section decreases at given stretch percentages. This information should be
taken into consideration when designing the groove.
Likewise, an O-ring that is too large may be compressed to fit the groove.
Compression should not exceed 3% of the O-ring diameter. Stretch for a
smaller O-ring should not exceed 5%.

12
11
10
9
% reduction in cross section

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
% diametral stretch on O-ring I.D.

Fig. 1-25

168

All the information in this documentation has been compiled with the greatest of care.
Despite this we can bear no responsibility whatsoever for any errors present in the documentation. The recommendations are intended as guidelines.
www.eriks.info