Rubber Inflatable Seals
Key Features
- High quality fully moulded construction
- Maintains shape even after many years of use
- Airtight construction to hold inflated shape
- Custom made to your exact requirements
- Air inflator hose for quick inflating & deflating
- Able to seal against uneven gaps & surfaces
- Wide selection of material compounds
Product Description
Inflatable seals are essentially hollow profiles, commonly made of elastomeric materials, designed to be airtight, either as endless rings or straight lengths with sealed ends. They require an inflation media inlet, such as a hose or valve, to enable pressurisation (usually with air, but sometimes with other media like water), allowing them to expand and exert a sealing force. This expansion facilitates the movement of the seal onto the seal face.
The primary advantage of inflatable seals lies in their ability to apply seal pressure independently, accommodate varying and sizable seal gaps, and expedite the sealing and unsealing process, particularly when dealing with moving surfaces. Unlike traditional elastomer gaskets that require sufficient compression stress, often necessitating bolts or other pressure application methods, inflatable seals can quickly seal and unseal within seconds, eliminating the time-consuming need for re-bolting or re-clamping.
Manufacturing Capabilities
At The Rubber Company, we have the capacity to produce rubber inflatable seals in an extensive array of combinations and configurations. With over 100 years of experience, we possess a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to engineer a highly efficient inflatable seal. Our collaborative approach involves working closely with you to develop the optimal sealing system tailored to your specific needs. Employing rubber moulding for the production of all our inflatable seal systems guarantees the creation of robust, uniform seals that not only enhance efficiency but also ensure long-lasting durability.
Unlike other sealing solutions our inflatable seals are designed to expand into position when inflated. The inflation creates a tight seal even in challenging applications. This makes our inflatable seals the ideal solution for applications that require a tight seal and a strong hold. We can also manufacture inflatable seals from a wide variety of different compounds and grades to suit any application or specification.
Manufacturing Materials
- Butyl
- EPDM (Ethylene-Propylene)
- Natural Rubber
- Nitrile
- Silicone
- PTFE
- Epichlorohydrin
- FKM (Viton®)
- Neoprene
- Polyurethane
- TPE
- Flourosilicone
Common Uses
Sealing
Pushing
Squeezing
Lifting
Holding
Stopping
Inflatable System Shapes
We can produce rubber inflatable seals in a wide range of lengths and dimensions to suit any application. However, there are four main types of sealing system shapes that we offer. These shapes offer the most effective sealing without compromising or usability or durability.
Straight Length Seal
Our straight length seals feature vulcanised ends to create an airtight system. The sealed ends are also thicker than the rest of the sealing system to ensure that they do not expand. These types of systems are ideal for use as clamps or more simple seals.
Rectangular Seal
Our rectangular shape seals feature a continuous loop with even inflation distribution. The corners are moulded and can be customised to suit a variety of radii. This system can utilise a variety of inflation configurations such as: inward, outward or axial inflation.
U Shaped (Inward) Seal
Our U shaped seals are a combination of our straight length and rectangular shape seals. These systems featured moulded corners that can be customised to suit a wide range of radii. They also feature vulcanised ends that will not expand once the seal has been inflated. This system can utilise a variety of inflation configurations such as: inward, outward or axial inflation.
Circular (Outward) Seal
Our circular shape seals are formed into a continuous loop. We can produce these in a wide range of inner diameters to suit your requirements. This system can utilise a variety of inflation configurations such as: inward, outward or axial inflation.
Seal Configurations
There is a choice of 6 different seal configurations. The different configurations enable us to provide a seal which is tailored to your unique application. It is important to select the correct configuration in order to achieve maximum sealing capabilities.
Radial In
This particular configuration is ideal for use in clamping applications. The seal is typically flat on one side which enable you install it on a variety of surfaces. One inflated the seal pushes upwards to provide a tight seal on any object it comes into contact with. Our customers also use this configuration on maintenance shafts and valve seals for this reason.
Radial Out
Inflatable seals which use this configuration inflate outwards away from the centre of the seal. This provides equal sealing on both sides of seal, which makes it perfect for use in applications which don’t provide adequate surface to attach the seal to. You can clamp these types of seals in place or insert into a groove. Airlock doors often use this type of seal.
Axial
These seals are designed to inflate in a direction 90° away from the radius of the seal. This makes it ideal at providing sealing around corners or curved surfaces as the seal always inflates towards the same direction. This feature makes this particular seal popular in door and hatch seal applications.
Straight Length
These particular inflatable seals are blocked at both ends which enables them to provide sealing in strips. They can always be manufactured in straight lengths if the application requires it. This makes them ideal for use in production lines as clamps or as a watertight seal under large sliding doors.
Rectangle with Moulded Corners
The corners on these seals are often pre-moulded which ensures that the seal is able to provide a tight fit around even the tightest corners. Our customers commonly use these particular seals on sliding doors.
Goal-Post Shaped
These inflatable seals combine straight length seals with the moulded corner seals in order to create a U-shaped seal which expands axially. This ensures that the same level of sealing is maintained on each side of the object you are using it on. These particular seals are also used on sliding doors.
Non-Reinforced Inflatable Seal
Non-reinforced inflatable seals, exclusively composed of elastomers, typically take the form of extruded designs, but can also be shaped to meet specific dimensional requirements. Unlike fabric-reinforced inflatable seals, these non-reinforced versions are unable to withstand high internal pressures. Despite this limitation, they are widely favoured globally for everyday sealing applications due to their lower costs without compromising on quality and performance.
Reinforced Inflatable Seal
The Rubber Company’s fully moulded fabric-reinforced inflatable seal diminishes the risk of failure by enhancing the strength of the rubber and its dimensions, ensuring consistent, satisfactory, and smooth performance across the entire seal. This results in reliable inflation throughout the entire striking surface. Fabric-reinforced rubber inflatable seals prove effective in scenarios involving moderate to high pressure, as seen in heavy industrial, environmental, technical, nuclear, marine, and laboratory settings. Various reinforcing fabrics are accessible, tailored to specific factors like temperature and pressure.
The Rubber Company offers technical guidance to help you determine the appropriate design, manufacturing material and shape for your application.
Potential Applications
- Aerospace
- Phonic isolation
- Aircraft access doors
- Cockpit canopies
- Portholes
- Nuclear power plant (equipment or personnel chambers)
- Sliding or quick-locking doors (autoclaves, sterilizers)
- Pneumatic conveyors (bagging hoppers, valve gates)
- Leak-tight panels
- Centrifugal filters (access doors and drainage hoppers)
- Storage and transport containers
- Land-based turbines
- Isothermal chambers
- Clean rooms
