Viton™ O-Rings

And other Specialty Elastomers for Sealing Liquids and Gases

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Viton™ O-Rings

Rubber O-rings are the most common sealing product in the world, and Viton™ is the most common rubber used for critical sealing applications.

An O-ring is a toroidal seal with a circular cross section. Used effectively, an O-ring can seal practically all fluids, both liquid and gas. Some plasmas too!

Viton™ is an organic fluorocarbon elastomer designated FKM by ASTM International. All FKM’s are built on a polymer chain of vinylidene C=CH2 with fluorine CF2=CH2.

CF2=CH2

Characteristics of Viton™

Advantages:

  1. Typical service temperature range is -4°F to +400°F, or -20°C to +200°C (with special formulations ranging from -40°F to 500°F, or -40°C to +260°C)
  2. Excellent resistance to oil, gasoline, hydraulic fluids, and hydrocarbon solvents (benzene, kerosene, toluene, xylene, etc.).
  3. Very good impermeability to gases and vapor.
  4. Very good resistance to weather, oxygen, ozone, and sunlight.
  5. Good flame retardance.

Limitations:

  1. Intermediate resistance to tear and cut growth.
  2. Very little resistance to oxygenated solvents (alcohols, ethers, esters, and ketones).

Comments:

There are many types of FKM’s based upon the monomers used to create the elastomer’s backbone. And there are also three cure systems that offer different performance characteristics. These features define the product’s performance.

Types of Viton™ (Polymer Fluorine Content Versus Fluid Resistance and Low Temperature Flexibility)

Types of Viton

Type A Viton™ should be your first choice when sealing liquids and fluids with an FKM elastomer.

If your application will expose the seal to more aggressive solvents or very low temperatures, then you will want to select a Viton™ elastomer with a higher fluorine content.