EFFECTS OF SEQUENTIAL FUEL TRANSITIONS FROM ETHANOL BLENDS TO NEAT GASOLINE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF POLYMERIC MATERIALS SUBJECTED TO STATIC LOADS

This study will highlight the effects of sequential fuel transitions from ethanol fuel blends to neat gasoline fuel on the performance of polymeric materials subjected to static and dynamic loading at room temperature. The compatibility of five elastomeric materials and one thermoplastic material are assessed by swelling, hardness and compression-set measurements. The study indicated that the volumetric swell of all elastomers subjected to ethanol exposure under static load conditions is found to increase as the amount of gasoline in Et-OH Blends is increased. The swelling of elastomers exposed to ethanol blends was observed to be more than that of neat fuel systems. Viton GF, Viton GFLT and Teflon were determined to offer the best hardness retention and least volumetric swell upon exposure to both neat fuel systems and sequential transition of fuel systems under static loading conditions. A dynamic seal test set up is recently designed for testing of these polymeric o-rings upon their exposure to both neat fuel systems and to sequential transition of fuel systems under dynamic rotational loading. Correlations between volumetric swell and the torque acquired by the dynamic rotational motion of the polymeric o-rings during their exposure to sequential transition of fuel blends are also explored.