Seals create a mating region between two connecting parts so that the complete assembly can transfer forces and motion without separation. For typical seals, the seal material must:
Conform to all irregularities of the mating surface and prevent any fluid passage or leakage
Adapt to the clearance gap changes in the gland in response to loads
Resist extrusion (caused by shear forces) due to pressure differential between the pressured and nonpressured sides of the seal.
The most common sealing applications are rotating-shaft sealing, elastomeric compressive sealing, and flange sealing. Sealing applications can be classified into two types: static and dynamic sealing. This problem focuses on a static elastomeric sealing application modeled as a 2D nonlinear finite-element problem.
Static elastomeric seals are characterized by a fixed mating surface, a moving mating surface, and the bead (seal material). The bead is typically compressed between the mating surfaces, providing a fluid-tight interface between them, as shown:
