Match the seal to its contact surfaces and movement
- O-ringThis term
The ring has a circular free cross-section. Match the ring material, groove and installed squeeze to the specified sealing duty.
- Gasket
The gasket sits between opposing mating faces. Its thickness, compression and surface compatibility belong to the complete joint.
- Static seal / dynamic seal
A static interface has no intended relative movement; dynamic duty adds sliding or rotation. Confirm wear and the permitted motion separately.
- Seal contact pressure
The arrows illustrate a varying local pressure distribution. Assembly torque alone does not measure uniform contact pressure.
An O-ring section, flat gasket, moving interface and contact-pressure distribution illustrate different sealing questions. The load acts at a defined mating surface.
Conceptual seal sections with exaggerated deformation. No squeeze, hardness, pressure limit or service motion is specified here.