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3506

IEEE Transactions

RADIATION

Introduction
Jiton
is commonly used
for
o-ring
seals in high
have
and
failures
occurred
in
vacuum
systems,
beam transport
lines
radiation
areas such as particle
In a search for
due to radiation
from
beam loss.
radiation
resistant
seals suitable
for vacuum systems,
obtained
from Minnesota
samples
were
nine elastomer
with gamma rays.
Rubber Company and irradiated
Tested
tested

were:

Compound W
EPDM (Ethylene
Propylene
559N
EPDM (Ethylene
Propylene
559EQ
NBR (Nitrile)
366T
Viton
514AD
Silicone
71417
Sulfur
Cured
Urethane
512AJ
Neoprene
48285
EPDM (tightly
cured)
560ND
Peroxide
Cured Urethane
554FP
Sulfur
Cured Urethane
564FB
Affect

of

482BJ, a Neoprene;
though
it
had good
71417, silicone,
and
affected
by the
at
5x10
rads
and

For
the best
radiation
compound
encountered
the high
have

The test
the
best

tested
the elastomers
some variances
of data
tested
and the results

The EPDM compounds 559N and 559EQ show the best

all around
properties
with
radiation
levels
up to
5.0~10
rads.
They exhibit
good tensile
and are still
elastomeric
though elongation
is
low and hardness
is
is
excellent
even at 5.0~10
high.
Compressiolt
set
The EPDMs are
not
good at levels
of lo9 rads
rads.
since
in
the
compression
test
both
samples
set
disintegrated.

,~:::~i~~tytoand5x~~~en~~~~.
compression

set

EPDM compounds
with radiation

,,,~~,~,~;~~

y;yapz;;

resistance.

A Urethane
that
is
sulfur
cured
has the best
flexibility,
strength
and hardness
even
up to 2x10
very poor compression
set
However,
rads.
they
have
qualities
even
before
treatment
of radiation.
The
sulfur
cured Urethane
fail
completely
by .85x109 rads
in compression
set.
an initial
through
to
rads.
The
much better
failure
is

Research Association,
Department
of Energy.

at Fermilab

Urethane
o-rings
have been used for a few vacuum
but extreme
applications
in
areas,
high
radiation
in
high
vacuum
eliminated
their
outgassing
use
Samples of
compounds 560ND, 564FB, 564FP,
apparatus.
Viton,
cord
purchased
from Eagle
and polyurethane
Belting
Company were tested
for
outgassing
in a very
simple
vacuum chamber.
The chamber
consisted
of a
spare Fermilab
main ring
ion
pump with a short
tube
Equal weights
of
extension
and a roughing
valve.
in
the tube extension
elastomer
samples were
placed
and the chamber was then roughed down and the ion pump
started.
The ion pump paver supply
frequency
was used
as the pressure
indicator
since
an ion gauge was not
A frequency
of 10 KHz indicated
a pressure
available.
of approximately
1x10
Torr.
A table
of test results
indicates
the
extreme
outgassing
of
the
Urethane
to Viton,
while
the ethylene
materials
as compared
No data
was
propylene
compound
wasnt
so bad.
obtained
as to actual
outgassing
rates
due to lack of
personnel,
time,
and equipment.

were
brittle
at or before
compounds
Compound 366Y, a NBR, retains
good
U.S.

results
confirmed
that
all
around
properties

There are many new compounds

now that have not
elastomers
with
been
tested.
Quite
possibly
properties
superior
to the EPDMs could be found.

The compound,
512AJ,
sulfur
cured
Urethane,
appears
to have the
best
radiation
resistance.
Even
after
10 rads 512AJ has some elongation
and tensile
change
in
hardness.
and little
However,
the
compression
set
of
512AJ,
even originally,
is poor
which is typical
of sulfur
cured Urethanes.
In a seal
application,
compression
set
is
a critical
property
and such extremely
poor set resistance
will
cause part
failure.

Universities
with the

all radiation
applications
up to 5.0~10
rads
compounds are 559N or 559EQ, the EPDMs.
If
levels
are
higher
than
5.0~13
rads,
then
would be
512AJ could be used, but difficulty
in designing
a functional
part because of
set it exhibits.

Vacuum Tests
--

Minnesota
Rubber
Company
after
irradiation.
There
are
due to the size of
the samples
are as foilows.

*Operated
by
under contract

properties
at 10 rads.
Compound
was brittle
at
3x10
rads
properties
at 10
rads.
Both
significantly
514AD.
Viton,
were
radiation
becoming
hard
even
brittle
a; 3x10 rads.

Lee

cured
Urethanes
The peroxide
have
change of properties
but
seem to stabilize
2.0~10
rads and is very
brittle
at 3~10~
initial
compression
set-characteristics
is
Urethanes
but again
than the sulfur
cured
seen at .85x10
rads.

Diene)
Diene)

Radiation

The other
3.0~10
rads.

NS-32, Nu. 5, October 1985

Accelerator
Laboratory*
P.C. Box 500
Batavia,
Illinois
60510

that some elastomers

Various
data has
indicated
have much higher
radiation
resistance
than Viton.
Nine
with gamma rays.
samples of elastomers
were irradiated
Twc Ethylene
Propylene
Diene
compounds,
EPDMs, were
acceptable
properties
for o-rings
found to
exhibit
after
radiation
levels
of
5x10
rads,
while Viton
Vacuum tests
rads.
also
were
failed
at
1x10
favorable
so EPDM o-rings
were
chosen as seals in the
Energy Saver cryostat
vacuum system.

The samples

Vol

National

Abstract

Materials

Scxnce.

RESISTANCE OF ELASTOMERS
Glenn

Fermi

on Nuclex

Figure
1 shows the pump-down
data for six of the
compounds
tested.
and 5 shows
Figures
2,3,4,
respectively,
compression
set,
the
elongation,
tensile,
and hardness
properties.

Inc.

0018-9499/85/1000-3806$01.000

1985 IEEE

3807

Results
investigation,
ethylene
this
As a result
of
in
the
and used
propylene
o-rings
were
ordered
The EPDM
cryostat
vacuum system for the Energy Saver.
O-rings
performed
satisfactorily
but.
they are slightly
similar
to neoprene.
This
very
permeable
to helium,
has to be noted when leak checking.
Acknowledgements
Thanks
Laboratory
Company for

to Joe
Schuchman
of Brookhaven
National
of
Minnesota
Rubber
and Tom Kiedrowski
their
help in obtaining
this data.
ELASTOMER
sr.AAT

END OF
1st HR.

103s

1040

5 x to-
TORR

1243

1258

0.350

0855

,255

1315

0855

0905

,110

1125

28

ITON

0840

0855

IO KHz
I i IO

ORANGE
POLYURETHANE

1255

1315

28

ROUGHING

MATERIAL
I

OUTGASSING

START
ION PUMP

ichl PUMP
(clean PI
COMPOUND
560ND

ION PVMP
klean Pi
_-...-.___
COMPOLUD
564FE
POLYUAE-HANE
ION PUMP
Iclean Pi
~_.___.
COMPOUND
564FP

END OF
3rd HR.

END OF
4th HR

9 KHZ
9 x 10-5

7.3 KHZ
7 I 10-6

27 KHZ

27 KHZ

26 KHz

26

4 I 10-6

30 KHz
3 I 106

2.5 KHz
25x10-

25 KHz

23 KHz

17 7 KHZ

2 x lo-
TORR
10.5

3 I 10-1

28

-559EQ-EP
- 3661
- NBR
-482BJ
*CR
- 71417 -SIL
A -514AD - VITON
x -BRITTLE

TEST

END OF
2nd HR

KHI

155

W
0
+
IJ

KHz

I lo-

KHz

27 KH*

4 Id

2 1 to-

KHZ

26 KHz

KH2

010

1
5

1
7.5

elastomers.
A
a pressure
of 1~10~~
taken from a pressure

outgassing
1:
Relative
Fig.
frequency
of 10 KHz
indicates
were
and pressures
noted
Torr,
vs. frequency
:;Jrve .

of

Fig. 3:
irradiation.

Compression

set

for

0 - 366Y
+ - 48285
0 - 71417
A - 514AD
x -BRITTLE

I
100

elastomer

A-

.- 512AJ-lk
l -559N
n -559EO

I
50

4
KHZ

,dl RAD:

materials

512AJ

l -559N

-EP
-EP
- NBR
- CR
- SIL
- VITON

W-559EQ-EP
0 - 366Y
+ - 482BJ
u-71417
A - 514AD
x -BRITTLE

01
0

I
5

I
7.5

I
IO

I
50

I
30

after

-URE
-EP
- NBR
- CR
-SIL
- VITON

I
100

x IO RADS

I
5

7.5

IO

30

JO

100

x IO RADS
Fig.

2:

Elongation

of

elastomers

after

irradiation.

Fig.
4:
irradiation.

Tensile

strength

of

elastomers

after

3808

A-512AJ
e-V&N
H - 559EO
-366Y

-URE
-EP
- EP
-NBR

x IO RADS

Fig. 5:
irradiation.

Shore

durometer

hardness

of

elastomers

after