What do you need to know about Gaskets?

Do you know what gaskets are? If no, do not worry as we are here to help you understand what they are, their types and uses. Commonly known as seals or joints, gasket is made of deformable material that joins two surfaces. It is used to prevent leakage of liquids and mostly used for sealing pipes.

Gaskets can be classified in many different ways based on their function, application and material. However, here we will discuss the types by material only.
Some common gasket types by material:

Rubber Gaskets
This is a kind of gasket that can be used in a wide range of applications such as ring joint gasket, heat exchangers, pipe gaskets etc.

Non-Asbestos Gaskets
Made from a compressed fiber, they have an elastomer binding and can be used in many applications such as steam, water, acid and oil.

Cork Gaskets
They give high flexibility with elastomer bindings and are widely used in different applications like solvents, fuel etc.

What are the gasket uses?

Liquid Seals
Sealing against the leak is the main function of gaskets. But when you use it for seal against the ingress of liquids, you should consider the liquid that is used. This is because level of resistance will differ depending on the liquid used. For instance, certain rubber will better suit chemicals like Viton, whereas nitrile will offer better resistance to industries involving fuels, oils and solvents. A rubber can also be used for ring joint gasket.

Environmental Seals
The environmental seals are used in enclosures and guard against environmental contaminants. Now, since the requirement for enclosures is access, it is important to ensure that their integrity is maintained. To ensure this, a foam rubber door gasket is fitted to an enclosure which keeps it an optimum working environment.

Report this Page