Experimental studies on load decay and leak rate of O-rings made of two kindsof silicone rubber are conducted. The results show that the characteristic of load decay isrelative to the material and temperature of O-rings; the rate of load decay increases with the riseof temperature; the effects of load decay on leak rate of O-rings are negligible at roomtemperature, but they are notable at high temperature, and they are related to the material ofO-rings. On the basis of study on the theory of load decay and analysis to the results ofexperiments, a theoretical model is developed to describe the load decay characteristic of O-rings,and it matches the experimental data very well. By the study of time-temperature equivalence of loaddecay, the interconvertting equation of test data of load decay at different temperatures isobtained.
