Analytical and experimental study on sealing contact characteristics of subsea collet connectors

The mathematical model of the contact stress is established based on the theory of Hertz contact with the assumption that the contact of a seal gasket and hubs of collet connectors is cylindrical. The mechanical models of the seal are established separately by sealing theory in the preloading and operating modes, and the relationships between the preload, the contact stress, and the sealing width are obtained. The relationships of structural parameters and the preload are analyzed and verified with finite element simulation and experiments. An experimental system has been designed and experiments have been conducted to verify the analytical models. Finite element simulation results and experimental results agree with analytical ones very well and the differences of the preload and sealing width are acceptable.