Study of Pressure Sensitive Plastic Flow Behaviour of Gasket Materials

The mechanical behaviour of the materials used as compressible gasket in the ultra high pressure apparatus is investigated. Materials such as pyrophyllite and talc, showing a pressure sensitive plastic flow behaviour were considered and a testing configuration was set up for studying the dependence of their plastic response on the hydrostatic component of the stress tensor, according to the Drucker-Prager criterion. A Finite Element modelling of the test was performed to evaluate the specimen response and the local stress condition, during loading. The Finite Element results were validated by comparison with those of a specific experimental characterisation. A parametric analysis was then carried out, by varying the materials constitutive behaviour, in order to build up a data base of representative curves. In this way an algorithm was developed, with the aim of determining the material constitutive behaviours by the analysis of the experimental data. The proposed procedure was then used to study the mechanical response of different gasket materials.