O-ring Lifetime of the SAVY-4000 Nuclear Material Storage Container

The typical use conditions of rubber O-ring plays at least as important a role in the effectiveness of the seal they form as the physical properties of the O-rings themselves. Under normal use conditions, O-rings are subject to wear, environmental contaminants such as hair, dirt and metal filings, and mishandling by the users. We systematically examine how each of these factors impacts the leak-tightness of a nuclear material storage container, and the likelihood that any one of these factors will allow the inadvertent release of radioactive material.