Ace Seal is a global manufacturer of custom o-rings, seals, gaskets and other molded rubber & plastic components

Engineering Design Guide for Gland Clearance

  • tech_clearance_graph

The gland clearance diagram gives a guide to the relation between hardness, pressure, clearance, and extrusion. This figure is based on NBR O-rings with a cross section of .139 inch (3,53 mm) without back up rings. When there is risk for extrusion use contoured hard rubber or plastic back-up rings. The results are based on tests at temperatures up to 70°C.

 

Note: for silicone and fluorosilicone O-rings reduce all the clearances shown by 50%.

 

The most effective and reliable sealing is generally provided with the diametrical clearance as shown in Table 3.B1a. The maximum allowable gaps are indicated for 70°hardness O-rings with different cross sections without back-ups for reciprocating and static seals. These values correspond to a pressure of ca. 1200 PSI (80 bar) (8 Mpa) at 70°F (21°C). When greater clearances occur, the diagram indicates conditions where O-ring seals may be used - depending on the fluid pressure and O-ring hardness. [See Table]

 

Gland clearance in relation to hardness and 0-ring cross section
Cross section Max. clearance 70 ° Shore A
Inch mm inch mm
.070 1,0-2,0 .002 - .004 0,05 - 0,1
.103 2,0-3,0 .002 - .005 0,05 - 0,13
.139 3,0-4,0 .002 - .006 0,05 - 0,15
.210 4,0-6,0 .003 - .007 0,07 - 0,18
>.275 >6,0 .004 - .010 0,1 - 0,25
Gland Clearance Table

Gland clearance table