Development of a New Simple Protocol and Test Device for the Detection and Measurement of Elastomeric Seal Material By-Pass Leak

When leakage measurement on an elastomeric seal is performed with a tracer gas (helium), the measured global leak is the result of the combination of the two following phenomena: a) a phenomenon of gas permeation related to the solubility and diffusion of gas in and through the material, b) a phenomenon of by-pass or interfacial leakage related to the gas flow around the seal due to geometrical defaults at the interface (capillaries, cuts, seal and groove surface quality, etc).Copyright © 2006 by ASME