Applications where O-rings are used to isolate atmospheric environments within a structure are critical to weapon reliability. Failure occurs when gases are able to travel from one side of the O-ring to the other. The anticipated cause of failure is the relaxation of the rubber over decades, the reduction in closure force, and the O-ring`s consequent inability to offer a barrier to gas transport. A predictive model with tractable complexity has been developed to predict the time over which an O-ring is able to maintain an acceptable value of closure force
