Undesirable Adhesion Occuring Under Service Conditions Fixing

3 Undesirable Adhesion Occuring Under Service Conditions (Fixing) 

This topic does not strictly comply with the title of the chapter, but represents a problem that can be very serious in nature and cause total failure of a seal system under service conditions. 

When nitrile rubber vulcanisates and metals are kept in contact, under pressure, for long periods of time an adhesion force develops between their surfaces this force has become known as fixing . The strength of the bond between the two materials can be termed the fixing strength. 

Mori [46] examined a number of factors concerned with the phenomenon and developed tests to determine the problem and suggested four indicators of preventative measures to eliminate or control fixing (see Section 12.3.2). 

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