Seal Failure Review
Rubber Seal Failure: A Practical Review Checklist
Preserve the failed part and operating history before choosing a replacement. A useful review connects the damage location to assembly, exposure, motion and time in service.
01 / Seal Failure Review
Preserve the part and its history
Photograph the installed location and damage before changing the assembly. Keep the returned part, its packaging and an unused comparison part where available. Record the part number, drawing revision, compound and lot. Agree specimen handling and return conditions so the condition being investigated remains identifiable.
02 / Seal Failure Review
Build a record of what happened
Describe the sequence from storage and installation to the first observed change.
| Record | Information to collect |
|---|---|
| Baseline | Original drawing, specification, initial inspection and unused sample |
| Timeline | Storage, installation, first symptom, service duration and recent changes |
| Installation | Location, orientation, tools, lubricant, tightening sequence and mating surfaces |
| Exposure | Complete fluids or gases, cleaning, contamination, temperature and pressure history |
| Mechanical duty | Motion, load, preload, speed, cycles and gap or alignment conditions |
| Observations | Photographs with scale and location, leakage or response records and affected quantity |
| Comparison | Unaffected locations or lots, retained materials and matched operating records |
03 / Seal Failure Review
Use observations to choose the next evidence
Record what is visible before selecting a cause. The same feature can have several explanations; these questions organize the investigation.
| Observation | Evidence to compare |
|---|---|
| Cuts or twisted surfaces | Damage location, assembly path, tools, groove and movement; include gas-pressure history if relevant |
| Edges displaced into a gap | Actual clearance and tolerances, support, compound and temperature-pressure history |
| Wear or friction noise | Counterface, particles, lubrication, speed, load and repeatable operating conditions |
| Cracks or tears | Origin, orientation, strained geometry, load path, thermal, ozone or gas exposure history |
| Lost recovery or flattening | Original geometry, installed compression, time, temperature and unloading conditions |
| Tack or white surface deposit | As-received samples, packaging, storage, cleaning, residue and untreated comparison |
| Staining or adjacent corrosion | Rubber/plastic or metal/coating pair, contact time, moisture, residues and blank comparisons |
| Fluid or sensor change | Fluid and component identities, exposure, comparison samples and measured functional change |
| Bond separation | Location, metal preparation and lot, fracture surfaces, loading and assembly records |
04 / Seal Failure Review
Keep thermal and gas evaluations distinct
For a cold-function concern, retain the relevant material report, including the method and specimen for any glass-transition value, alongside the assembly evaluation. For heat aging, keep exposure and loading history with the sample. For pressurized gas, provide composition, pressure, dwell, temperature and decompression sequence, then agree the compound-specific sample and acceptance protocol.
05 / Seal Failure Review
Connect the investigation with the relevant measurement
Choose measurements for the question: a material property, an interface condition or the assembled function. Keep specimen identity, method and conditions with each result. Separate compression-set and force-retention questions, and distinguish material permeation from assembly leakage.
06 / Seal Failure Review
Validate the proposed correction
Agree the hypothesis, proposed change, sample identity and test conditions before adopting a new material or geometry. Define the acceptance criteria, assembly trial and responsible decision. Preserve before-and-after records and follow the relevant lots in repeat supply.
From your requirements to a component review
Discuss the Specification
Send your drawing or describe the application. Include service conditions, material requirements and quantity.