Solutions for Weather or Ozone Cracking

Failure Pattern
Occurring in both static and dynamic seals exposed to atmospheres containing ozone and other air pollutants, weather and ozone cracking is marked by the appearance of many small surface cracks perpendicular to the direction of stress.

Problem Sources
Ozone attack of the polymer chains causing O-ring cracking.

Suggested Solutions
Employ O-ring elastomers that are resistant to ozone attack (see Chemical Compatibility Table, Section 6 in the Seal Design Guide).

O-RING RULE OF THUMB #1

A stretch greater than 5% on the O-ring I.D. is not recommended because it can lead to a loss of seal compression due to reduced cross-section. » Learn More