Industry News

A brief introduction to gaskets

2022-05-10
A gasket is a material made of paper, rubber sheet or copper sheet and placed between two flat surfaces to reinforce the seal. Sealing elements are arranged between the static sealing surfaces to prevent fluid leakage. It is a mechanical seal between two objects, usually used to prevent pressure, corrosion, and the natural expansion and contraction of pipes, preventing leakage between the two objects. Since the machined surface cannot be perfect, the irregularities can be filled with shims.
Gaskets are usually made from sheet materials such as paper backing, rubber, silicone rubber, metal, cork, felt, neoprene, nitrile rubber, fiberglass or plastic polymers such as Teflon. Gaskets for certain applications may contain asbestos. A washer is a thin plate (usually round) with a hole (usually in the middle), usually a threaded fastener used to distribute the load. Other uses are as spacers, springs (washers, wave washers), wear pads, pre-display devices, locking devices. Rubber gaskets are also used in faucets (valves) to shut off the flow of liquids or gases.

Rubber or silicon gaskets can also be used to reduce fan vibration. Typically, the outer diameter of the gasket is about twice the inner diameter. Gasket installation requirements:

1. The sealing surfaces of gaskets and flanges should be cleaned, and there should be no scratches, spots and other defects that affect the sealing performance of the connection.

2. The outer diameter of the gasket should be smaller than the outer diameter of the flange sealing surface, and the inner diameter should be slightly larger than the inner diameter of the pipe. The difference between the two inner diameters is usually 2 times the thickness of the gasket to ensure the gasket is compressed. The inner edge should not extend into the container or pipe so as not to obstruct the flow of fluid in the container or pipe.

3. The pre-tightening force of the gasket should not exceed the design specification to prevent the gasket from being over-compressed and losing elasticity.

4. It is best to use a torque wrench when pressing the gasket. For large bolts and high-strength bolts, hydraulic tightening can be used. The tightening torque should be obtained by calculation according to the compression amount of the given gasket, and the oil pressure of the hydraulic fastener should also be determined by calculation.

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