Case Study: Elastomer Seal Material Failure

Understand how advanced analytical techniques uncover root causes and can help prevent failures in high-performance polymer and elastomer systems.

Seal and elastomer failures can carry serious safety, financial, and reputational risks. This case study demonstrates how a forensic science approach to polymer failure investigation goes beyond routine testing to uncover the true root cause of failure. Through stepwise microscopy and chemical analysis, our expert reveals how hidden contamination introduced during maintenance led to premature seal failure in an aerospace application. 

What’s inside this case study:

• How a forensic science mindset can be applied to polymer and elastomer failure investigations
• Why routine tests (such as hardness) may miss the true root cause of failure
• The role of optical and polarized light microscopy in identifying surface damage, stress patterns, and embedded contaminants
• How chemical imaging (SEM-EDX) complements microscopy to identify unknown particles
• Practical steps to get the right insights that can help prevent repeat failures in high-performance polymer components

Download this case study to learn how advanced analytical strategies can help you identify processing or service-related issues, improve best practice, and prevent costly failures in high-performance elastomer and polymer components.