The New Diversity

Surprising results, even for the experienced material experts at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies

Why do experts immediately turn to relatively expensive polymers such as FKM in the evaluation of a new fuel system? Dr. Boris Traber, the head of Global Material Development at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, has this explanation: “Fluorine atoms are significantly larger than carbon atoms, so they form a kind of protective shield for the seal’s basic material,” he said. “Fluorine-carbon compounds are also highly symmetrical, which neutralizes their charge concentration. The effects that we were able to observe are not unlike a coated pan upon which both water and grease form droplets.” Carried over to fuels, this characteristic shields both the nonpolar ingredients such as hydrocarbons and the polar ingredients such as water and ether, which leads to less swelling.

The results even surprised the experienced material experts at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies: In nearly all of the seal materials that were tested, pure OME led to volume expansion that far exceeded the usual swelling values. The image that emerged in FKM compounds was one surprise: One would have expected that the swelling volume would decline with rising fluorine content. But that wasn’t the case. The expansion in volume was not linear in relation to the fluorine content. This anomaly can be traced back to a correlation with hydrogen content in this kind of FKM. A higher proportion of hydrogen also leads to high swelling values. Accordingly, the perfluoro rubber (FFKM) that was tested exhibited very good values as well, although it is significantly more expensive than other options. An EPDM also showed low swelling in pure OME.

Tests for more than a decade

The test series also showed that the tested FKM materials showed a much lower level of swelling in an admixture with up to 30 percent OME by volume. Traber is encouraged by this: “We could immediately substitute OME for a certain share of fossil diesel fuels,” he said. But he also sounds a note of caution. “Our experience shows that – especially outside of Europe – actual fuel quality can fluctuate greatly due to uncontrolled impurities. So experts should always be consulted during the selection of sealing materials.”

For more than a decade, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has been carrying out tests to investigate how fluctuating fuel composition affects sealing materials. In the company’s own labs, researchers have explored the swelling behavior of sealing materials in soy methyl ester and hydrogenated plant oils, for example. They have also developed their own test stand design for these inquiries. It can be used to investigate the permeability of a sealing material that is constantly exposed to a particular fuel for a relatively long period. Here the “door-opener” phenomenon was observed: Small polar molecules such as methanol have this effect on otherwise impermeable hydrocarbons. The permeability varies over time.

To sum it all up, the FKM materials proved to be superior in all the test series. It was not just the fluorine content but rather the entire material structure that was crucial for strength and leak tightness. As a result, Traber sees no fundamental obstacle to the introduction of renewable fuels. “Even today we have suitable materials available if the configuration is right.”