Performance in Diesel and Biodiesels of Fluorosilicone Rubber Materials Used for Automotive Quick Connector Fuel Line ORings and Other Sealing Applications

Consumers in Europe are purchasing automobiles with diesel engines at an accelerating rate. In addition, European governments are increasingly looking to diesel blends (such as biodiesel, which combines diesel at various levels with oil derived from the Rapeseed plant) as a directly substitutable fuel to 100% petroleum-based diesel. One major concern of the automotive industry is the performance of different elastomeric parts in the new fuels. O-rings made from high modulus fluorosilicone elastomers are used predominantly in automotive fuel line quick-connects. This study reviews the performance of fluorosilicone rubber in diesel and biodiesel blends.