Study on sealing performance and optimization design of a new type non-standard seal strip of submarine pipeline maintenance dry cabin

The submarine pipeline maintenance dry cabin can improve inspection accuracy and repair quality. However, there is no reference standard for the selection and design of the seal strip of a large underwater cabin. Therefore, in this paper, the seal strip's sealing characteristics were studied using the finite element software ABAQUS, and the structure of the non-standard seal strip is designed and optimized. The simulation results show that the D-section seal strip can provide high contact stress while maintaining low Mises stress. To further improve the sealing performance, a new type D seal strip composed of rubber and EPDM foam was designed. The ratio of the two materials affects the overall performance of the seal. Therefore, considering the contact stress integral, maximum contact stress, and maximum Mises stress, the comprehensive optimal structure was obtained based on the Response Surface Methodology. Finally, experimental results verified the accuracy of the simulation calculation. © 2023