What is an O-ring ?

An O-ring is a toroidal-shaped seal. It's a technical term to explain that this part is a geometric solid in the shape of a tube bent back on itself. It can be used in static or dynamic applications.

O-Rings have been used for many years in a variety of industrial applications :

• Valves
• Industrial motors
• Medical equipment
• agricultural equipment
• Construction equipment
• Machine tools

But that's not all !

In fact, O-rings can also be found in everyday objects such as coffee makers, or in gardening tools such as high-pressure water jets.in other wordsin other words, O-rings are necessary whenever a mechanism requires a good seal.

To determine the hardness of a seal's elastomer, we use the Shore measurement. There are 3 standards :

• 70 Shore A
• 80 Shore A
• 90 Shore A

To check whether your O-ring is correctly seated, it is necessary that the compression after fitting does not exceed 20%.
However, there are several types of "SHORE" measurement scales: Shore A (as mentioned above) is dedicated to "soft" materials, and Shore D to "hard" types.

How to measure an O-ring ?

To measure an SPI, TORICAL, HYDRAULIC or V-RING seal, it's important to take several factors into account :

First of all, I need the right tools !

You'll need a pair of calipers to carry out the measurements.
Indeed, there's nothing more precise than a caliper to measure a part with great accuracy.

Second step, I use the right reflexes

• Measure the outside diameter of the joint
• Measure the inside diameter of the joint
• Finally, measure the joint cross-section (width/thickness)