In many industrial and daily application scenarios, rubber gaskets, although small, play an important role. Common functions include sealing and shock absorption. But people often wonder: How long is the service life of rubber gaskets? In fact, its service life is affected by many complex factors, and it is difficult to give an exact duration.
From the perspective of material, gaskets of different rubber materials vary significantly. Common nitrile rubber gaskets have good oil resistance. In a normal temperature and non-corrosive oil environment, the normal service life can reach 1-2 years. Silicone rubber gaskets have excellent high and low temperature resistance and can maintain good elasticity in the temperature range of -70℃—+260℃。 If used for equipment sealing in high temperature environments, such as door seals of industrial ovens, their service life may reach 3-5 years. However, in a harsh chemical corrosion environment, even if the material is excellent, the service life will be greatly shortened.
The impact of the use environment should not be underestimated. High temperature will accelerate the aging of rubber, making it hard and brittle. For example, rubber gaskets at the connection of high-temperature pipes in power plants may have to be replaced every six months due to long-term exposure to high temperature. High humidity environment can easily make rubber gaskets damp, resulting in performance degradation, especially in outdoor electrical equipment in hot and humid areas, where water vapor erosion accelerates the damage of gaskets. If there is a chemical corrosive medium, such as strong acid and alkali liquids in chemical pipelines, ordinary rubber gaskets may need to be replaced every few weeks.
The frequency of use is also critical. For sealing equipment that is frequently opened and closed, such as a frequently opened wall breaker, the gaskets are constantly squeezed and rubbed, and the elasticity is easy to decrease. Usually, the problem of poor sealing may occur after 1-2 years of use. However, if the rubber gaskets on some low-frequency equipment are properly maintained, the life span can be greatly extended.
In general, in an environment with normal temperature, no corrosion and low frequency of use, the service life of rubber gaskets is relatively long, which can reach 5 years or even longer; but once it is in a harsh working condition with high temperature, high humidity, high corrosion and frequent use, its life may only be a few months. Enterprises and users need to take these environmental factors into consideration, regularly check the status of rubber gaskets, and replace them in a timely manner to ensure the normal operation of the equipment and reduce the risk of failure.
-
