Seals/Gaskets

Seals and Gasket A gasket is a mechanical seal which fills the space between two objects, generally to prevent leakage between the two objects whilst under compression. Gaskets save money by allowing less precise mating surfaces on machine parts which can use a gasket to fill irregularities. Gaskets are commonly produced by cutting from sheet materials, such as gasket paper, rubber, silicone, metal, felt, fibreglass or a plastic polymer. Gaskets for specific applications may contain asbestos. It is usually desirable that the gasket be made from a material that is to some degree compressible, so that it tightly fills the space it is designed for, including any slight irregularities. One of the more desirable properties of an effective gasket in industrial applications for compressed fibre gasket material is the ability to withstand high compressive loads. Most industrial gasket applications involve bolts exerting compression well into the 14 MPa (2000 psi) range or higher. Generally speaking, there are several truisms which allow for best gasket performance. One of the more tried and tested is: "The more compressive load exerted on the gasket, the longer it will last". There are several ways to measure a gasket material's ability to withstand compressive loading. The "hot compression test" is probably the most accepted of these.

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