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Press-in-place gasket stability is required to maintain consistent and predictive sealing compression in a sealing joint utilizing a housing groove and a mating component sealing surface. Without proper balance between height of the groove and height of the gasket, the sealing joint can be compromised. Hence, automotive engineers balance design variables with the desire to achieve long term sealability and gasket stability. The percentage of gasket out of groove was varied to study the interactions of this design control and the resultant deviation of gasket centerline to the groove centerline. Finally, an optimal percentage of gasket out of groove is recommended.

When sealing an application with a radial O-ring system design there is a balance that must be struck between O-ring function and the ease of assembly. If design parameters are not properly controlled or considered it is possible to design an O-ring seal that would require assembly insertion forces that exceed acceptable ergonomic practices from a manufacturing standpoint. If designs are released into production with these high insertion forces manufacturing operators will struggle to assemble parts, creating opportunity for potential operator injury due to repetitive strain or CTD. In this study several variables impacting O-ring system insertion forces were tested to quantify the effects. Results were analyzed to identify design controls that could be implemented from an early design phase to optimize both functionality and ease of assembly.