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Leak rate of seals: Effective-medium theory and comparison with experiment

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Abstract

Seals are extremely useful devices to prevent fluid leakage. We present an effective-medium theory of the leak rate of rubber seals, which is based on a recently developed contact mechanics theory. We compare the theory with experimental results for seals consisting of silicon rubber in contact with sandpaper and sand-blasted PMMA surfaces.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IFF, FZ Jülich, D-52425, Jülich, Germany

    B. Lorenz & B. N. J. Persson

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  1. B. Lorenz
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  2. B. N. J. Persson
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Correspondence to B. N. J. Persson.

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Lorenz, B., Persson, B.N.J. Leak rate of seals: Effective-medium theory and comparison with experiment. Eur. Phys. J. E 31, 159–167 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2010-10558-6

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