TY - CONF A1 - Zaghdoudi, Maha A1 - Weber, Mike A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Numerical Modelling of Compression Stress Relaxation and Compression Set of Elastomer O-Ring During Aging N2 - Elastomer seals are used in many industrial applications due to their excellent mechanical properties at a wide range of temperatures. Their high versatility and recovery potential under several load conditions make them well suitable for the application in containers designed for transport, storage and/or disposal of radioactive materials. In containers for low and intermediate level radioactive waste, elastomer seals are used as barrier seals, and as auxiliary seals in storage and transportation casks (dual purpose casks) for heat generating radioactive waste, such as spent fuel and high-level waste. While a seal exchange at defined intervals is typical in many conventional applications, it is impossible or at least hard to perform when principles of minimization of radiation exposure have to be considered and prohibit an unnecessary cask handling. An extensive knowledge of the change of the elastomer’s properties during aging and the availability of reliable end-of-lifetime criteria to guarantee the permanent safe enclosure of the radioactive material is mandatory. As BAM is involved in most of the national cask licensing procedures and in the evaluation of cask-related long-term safety issues, great efforts have been already made and are still planned to scientifically support this task. Compression stress relaxation and compression set were identified as key indicators of elastomer long-term performance and quantitatively investigated in comprehensive test programs. Among other representative types of elastomers, specimens made from ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) were tested before, during and after aging to capture the most important of their complex mechanical properties. In the presented study, exemplary results were used to simulate the compression stress relaxation and the compression set of elastomer O-rings during aging. Regarding the influence of temperature, the time-temperature superposition principle is applied in the relaxation analysis of elastomer O-rings. The proposed model is implemented in the commercial finite element software ABAQUS/Standard® [1] with a sequential temperature displacement coupling. Numerical results match the experimental compression stress relaxation measurements well. The prediction of compression set values after long-term aging shows a relatively good agreement with the experimental results. Nevertheless, all input parameters derived from the specimen tests, additional assumptions concerning boundary conditions and modeling strategy are discussed with regard to the identified slight discrepancies. The possibility to extend the finite element model to represent the O-ring seal’s ability to recover after a (fast) partial release is taken into account. T2 - ASME 2020 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference (PVP2020) CY - Online meeting DA - 03.08.2020 KW - Compression Set KW - O-ring KW - Simulation KW - Sequential analysis KW - Ageing KW - stress relaxation PY - 2020 SN - 978-0-7918-8388-4 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1115/PVP2020-21270 SP - PVP2020-21270 PB - ASME AN - OPUS4-51490 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Zaghdoudi, Maha A1 - Weber, Mike A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Simulation of compression set of epdm o-rings during aging N2 - It is common practice in the application of finite element analysis to model compression set (CS) of elastomers during aging with two different material models according to the two-network theory of Tobolsky. The theory relies on the existence of two networks. The first one represents the original network after vulcanization and is sensitive to chain scission. The second network accounts for the formation of additional crosslinking during aging. Besides the use of user subroutines to describe the two-network model, an element overlay technique is also needed as the full set of both material behaviors did not exist for assignment to a single element. This element overlay technique is valuable for research and developmental purposes but makes extension to industrial usage quite challenging. Our goal is to simulate the CS of elastomers after long-term aging in a commercial finite element software with no need for extra subroutine codes or mesh superposition. Ethylene propylene diene (EPDM) O-rings were aged in a compressed state at 75 °C, 100 °C, 125 °C and 150 °C for up to 183 days. Investigations of the experimental test results were used to identify material models and their parameters to develop a finite element model to simulate CS. The model was implemented in the finite element software ABAQUS/Standard® with a sequential temperature-displacement coupling. Regarding the influence of temperature, the Arrhenius equation is adopted for the time-temperature relationship. The activation energy value that is required for the simulation is firstly determined from shifting the experimental CS results with the time-temperature superposition technique and plotting the shift factors in an Arrhenius diagram. The experiments were compared with the simulation results. Afterwards different activation energies were used in the simulation and discussed. A suitable choice of the activation energy value with regard to the reference temperature and the test temperature is presented. With the chosen activation energies, the match between numerical CS values after long-term aging and the experimental results was improved. T2 - ASME 2022 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference CY - Las Vegas, USA DA - 17.07.2022 KW - Simulation KW - Compression set KW - EPDM KW - Aging PY - 2022 SP - 1 EP - 9 AN - OPUS4-57370 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Zaghdoudi, Maha A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Albouy, P.-A. A1 - Häcker, Ralf A1 - Stock, Daniel T1 - Overview of ongoing research and future prospects on polyethylene neutron shielding materials at bam N2 - The extension of the interim storage period of radioactive waste before disposal will cause additional challenges for the nuclear waste management in Germany, so that an extensive knowledge of the long-term performance of casks, including their components and inventories, will be required for future extended storage licenses. Ultra-high and high molecular weight polyethylenes ((U)HMW-PE) are used for neutron shielding purposes in casks for storage and transport of spent fuel and high-level waste due to their extremely high hydrogen content. During their service life of several decades as cask components, the PE materials are exposed to neutron and gamma radiation from the radioactive inventory of the casks, mechanical assembling stresses and temperature. All these combined effects affect the material properties of such components which in turn may be crucial for some possible accident scenarios. At the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), the effects of high temperature exposure in combination with subsequent or previous irradiation were investigated with a comprehensive aging program including thermal aging at 125 °C for different aging periods up to 5 years and irradiation with doses ranging from 50 to 600 kGy. This contribution provides an overview of the ongoing research related to the structural changes of (U)HMW-PE induced by gamma irradiation and high temperature exposure and focuses on current research perspectives at BAM with regard to the prediction of the dynamic behavior of the material during extended interim storage in case of an accident scenario. First results of the coupled effect of temperature, radiation and mechanical loading will be presented. The effect of microstructural changes induced by gamma irradiation and high temperature on the mechanical behavior of (U)HMW-PE will be assessed. T2 - PATRAM22 CY - Juan-Les-Pins, Antibes, France DA - 11.06.2023 KW - (U)HMWPE KW - Ageing KW - Irradiation KW - WAXD KW - SHPB PY - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 10 AN - OPUS4-57707 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zaghdoudi, Maha A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Oxidative ageing of elastomers: Experiment and modelling N2 - During an extensive test programme at the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und prüfung, material property changes of EPDM O-rings were investigated at different ageing times and two ageing temperatures of 125∘C and 150∘C. To exclude possible diffusion-limited oxidation (DLO) effects that can distort the data, IRHD microhardness measurements were taken over the cross section of compressed O-rings. Continuous stress relaxation measurements were taken on samples free of DLO effects. The additional effect of physical processes to irreversible chemical ones during a long-term thermal exposure is quantified by the analysis of compression set measurements under various test conditions. By combining the different experimental methods, characteristic times relative to the degradation processes were determined. On the basis of experimental data, a microphysically motivated model that takes into account reversible and irreversible processes was developed. The parameter identification strategy of the material model is based on our experimental investigations on homogeneously aged elastomer O-rings. The simulated results are in good agreement with the experiments. KW - Compression stress relaxation KW - Compression set KW - IRHD microhardness KW - Modelling PY - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-545910 SN - 1432-0959 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-54591 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zaghdoudi, Maha A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Erroneous or Arrhenius: A Degradation Rate-Based Model for EPDM during Homogeneous Ageing N2 - To improve the predictive capability of long-term stress relaxation of elastomers during thermo-oxidative ageing, a method to separate reversible and irreversible processes was adopted. The separation is performed through the analysis of compression set after tempering. On the Basis of this separation, a numerical model for long-term stress relaxation during homogeneous ageing is proposed. The model consists of an additive contribution of physical and chemical relaxation. Computer simulations of compression stress relaxation were performed for long ageing times and the results were validated with the Arrhenius treatment, the kinetic study and the time-temperature superposition technique based on experimental data. For chemical relaxation, two decay functions are introduced each with an activation energy and a degradative process. The first process with the lower activation energy dominates at lower ageing times, while the second one with the higher activation energy at longer ageing times. A degradation-rate based model for the evolution of each process and ist contribution to the total system during homogeneous ageing is proposed. The main advantage of the model is the possibility to quickly validate the interpolation at lower temperatures within the range of slower chemical processes without forcing a straight-line extrapolation. KW - Kinetic study KW - Arrhenius KW - TTS KW - Modeling KW - Chemical processes KW - Stress relaxation PY - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-512931 SN - 2073-4360 VL - 12 IS - 9 SP - 1 EP - 21 AN - OPUS4-51293 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zaghdoudi, Maha A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Overview of ongoing long-term ageing investigations on elastomer seals N2 - At the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) in Division 3.4 Safety of Storage Containers, one of our tasks is to evaluate the safety of containers designed for disposal of low and intermediate radioactive waste. As such containers might be transported before and stored until disposal, safe enclosure of the radioactive inventory is important for this time span. Elastomer O-rings are widely used as barrier seals in these containers. Thus, as for many other applications, an understanding of the practical effects of ageing degradation on elastomer seals during long-term exposure is mandatory for predicting the lifetime of such components. According to a long-term test programme on three kinds of rubbers (EPDM and FKM (relevant for application), HNBR (for comparison)), over several years we have studied the degradation and the change of mechanical properties (e.g. hardness, strain at break) at four different ageing temperatures (75 °C, 100 °C, 125 °C and 150 °C) as well as the change of sealing properties. Continuous and intermittent compression stress relaxation (CSR) measurements were performed in order to investigate the respective contribution of crosslinking and chain scission to the observed degradation effects. Thus, the degradation kinetics and mechanisms could be resolved more clearly. For assessing the seal performance, compression set (CS) and leakage rate measurements were conducted. The experimental results showed that the O-rings remained leak-tight under purely static conditions even when CSR, CS and mechanical properties already indicated far advanced degradation. For this reason, a modified leakage test involving a small and rapid partial decompression of the seal was developed that enabled determining an end-of-lifetime criterion for O-rings with a safety margin for thermal shrinkage and vibrations. KW - Seal KW - O-Ring KW - Ageing KW - Component tests PY - 2020 SN - 1863-7116 VL - 15 IS - 3 SP - 146 EP - 151 PB - Gupta CY - Ratingen AN - OPUS4-51161 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zaghdoudi, Maha A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Übersicht über laufende Untersuchungen zur Langzeitalterung von Elastomerdichtungen N2 - Eine Aufgabe des Fachbereichs 3.4 Sicherheit von Lagerbehältern der Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) ist es, die Sicherheit von Behältern zur Lagerung von radioaktivem Abfall mit vernachlässigbarer Wärmeentwicklung zu bewerten. Da solche Behälter vor der Entsorgung transportiert und gelagert werden, ist während dieser Zeit ein sicherer Einschluss des radioaktiven Inhalts von größter Bedeutung. Zur Abdichtung dieser Behälter sind Elastomer-O-Ringe weit verbreitet. Um für solche, wie auch für viele andere Anwendungen, eine Voraussage über die Lebensdauer dieser Komponenten treffen zu können, ist es unerlässlich zu verstehen, welchen Einfluss der durch Alterung hervorgerufene Abbau auf Dauer auf die Elastomerdichtungen hat. In einem Langzeittest wurden drei Kautschukarten (EPDM und FKM, die für die Anwendung relevant sind, und HNBR als Vergleich) über mehrere Jahre untersucht. Dabei wurden die Veränderungen der mechanischen Eigenschaften (z. B. Härte und Bruchdehnung) bei vier verschiedenen Alterungstemperaturen (75 °C, 100 °C, 125 °C und 150 °C) sowie das Dichtungsverhalten betrachtet. Um den Einfluss von Vernetzung und Kettenspaltung auf die beobachteten Alterungseffekte zu bestimmen, wurden Messungen zur kontinuierlichen und intermittierenden Druckspannungsrelaxation durchgeführt. Dadurch konnten Erkenntnisse über Kinetik und Mechanismus der Abbaureaktionen gewonnen werden. Zur Einschätzung des Dichtungsverhaltens wurden Durckverformungsrest und Leckagerate gemessen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die O-Ringe unter statischen Bedingungen auch dann dicht halten, wenn die Werte für Druckverformungsrest, Druckspannungsrelaxation und mechanische Eigenschaften schon auf einen fortgeschrittenen Alterungsabbau hindeuten. Aus diesem Grund wurde ein modifizierter Dichtigkeitsversuch mit einer geringen und schnellen teilweisen Entlastung der Dichtung entwickelt, mit dessen Hilfe sich ein Lebensdauerkriterium bestimmen lässt, das eine Sicherheitsspanne für thermische Schrumpfung und Vibrationen beinhaltet. KW - Alterung KW - O-ring KW - Elastomer Dichtung PY - 2020 SN - 0176-1625 VL - 73 IS - 07-08 SP - 326 EP - 332 PB - Gupta CY - Ratingen AN - OPUS4-51207 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zaghdoudi, Maha A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Scission, cross-linking, and physical relaxation during thermal degradation of elastomers N2 - Elastomers are susceptible to chemical ageing, i.e., scission and cross-linking, at high temperatures. This thermally driven ageing process affects their mechanical properties and leads to limited operating time. Continuous and intermittent stress Relaxation measurements were conducted on ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) and hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) samples for different ageing times and an ageing temperature of 125 °C. The contributions of chain scission and cross-linking were analysed for both materials at different ageing states, elucidating the respective ageing mechanisms. Furthermore, compression set experiments were performed under various test conditions. Adopting the two-network model, compression set values were calculated and compared to the measured data. The additional effect of physical processes to scission and cross-linking during a long-term thermal exposure is quantified through the compression set analysis. The characteristic times relative to the degradation processes are also determined. KW - Ageing KW - Scission KW - Cross-linking KW - Compression set KW - Physical relaxation PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-486091 SN - 2073-4360 VL - 11 IS - 8 SP - 1280, 1 EP - 12 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-48609 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zaghdoudi, Maha A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Understanding the recovery behaviour and the degradative processes of EPDM during ageing N2 - Recovery is an important measure for seal applications representing to which extent the elastomer regains its initial shape after deformation and release of an applied force. Compression set (CS) indicates the degree of recovery. Ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) was aged at 75 ◦C, 100 ◦C, 125 ◦C and 150 ◦C for different ageing times up to five years and compression set measurements were performed at different times after disassembly and after additional tempering. Short- and long-term recovery up to one year after release for samples aged at 125 ◦C and 150 ◦C was also studied. To assess the curvature in the Arrhenius diagram that may occur due to non-sufficiently aged specimens, a degradation-rate based model was fitted to the CS data after tempering. For each ageing temperature, two decay fit functions were proposed, each with an activation energy and a corresponding degradative process. The influence of ageing on the leak-tightness after fast small partial release is investigated and estimated through the analysis of the shift factors from time temperature superposition (TTS) of CS measurements at different times after disassembly. Shift factors of CS measurement after 1 s and after additional tempering are in good agreement. KW - Compression set KW - Ageing KW - Recovery KW - Degradative processes KW - Leakage rate PY - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-573699 SN - 0142-9418 VL - 121 SP - 107987 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-57369 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Zaghdoudi, Maha A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar T1 - Oxidative ageing of elastomers: experiment and modelling N2 - During an extensive test programme at the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und prüfung, material property changes of EPDM O-rings were investigated at different ageing times and an ageing temperature of 125 °C. To exclude possible diffusion limited oxidation (DLO) effects that can distort the data, IRHD micro hardness measurements were performed over the cross-section of compressed O-rings. Continuous stress relaxation measurements were conducted on samples free of DLO effects. The additional effect of physical processes to irreversible chemical ones during a long-term thermal exposure is quantified by the analysis of compression set measurements under various test conditions. By combining the different experimental methods, characteristic times relative to the degradation processes were determined. On the basis of experimental data, a microphysically motivated model that takes into account reversible and irreversible processes was developed. The parameter identification strategy of the material model is based on our experimental investigations on homogeneously aged elastomer O-rings. The simulated results are in good agreement with the experiments. T2 - ACEX-14th International Conference on Advanced Computational Engineering and Experimenting CY - Malta DA - 04.07.2021 KW - Compression stress relaxation KW - Compression set KW - IRHD micro hardness KW - Modelling PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-52968 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -