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What is a Gasket?
A gasket is a mechanical seal made of deformable  elastomeric material usually designed in the form of a ring or sheet which fills the space between two or more mating surfaces, generally to prevent leakage from or into the joined objects while under compression. 

Gaskets are normally made from a flat material, such as paper, rubber, silicone, metal, cork, felt, neoprene, nitrile rubber, fiberglass, PTFE, Fibrous materials including aramid,carbon fiber, cellulose, glass, etc. 

Gaskets can be used for many different applications, such as: sealing, sound and noise reduction, anti-vibration, packaging, hygiene, and as supports/mountings.

Gasket are used in almost all major manufacturing sectors, including the automotive, aerospace, electronics, Food, pharmaceutical ,petrochemical, chemical , fertilizers & defense.

Gasket materials are preferred for their characteristics: such as their resistance to extreme temperatures, pressures, chemicals, acids, alkaline media and their capacity to withstand unusual environments like deep-sea, mining and even in space. 

How does a Gasket Function?

To maintain a leak-proof sealing during operation, gaskets are used to create a static seal between two stationary members of a mechanical assembly. The gasket material flows in to the flange macro & micro imperfections, prevents the escape of the confined fluid from the assembly. The amount of flow of the gasket material that is required to produce a tight seal is dependent upon the roughness of the surface.

Gasket must be capable to sustain seal under all operating conditions of arrangements including fluctuations in temperature & pressure. Hence it is essential to ensure proper design and selection of gaskets to avoid leakage issues and expensive shutdown of process plants. In addition, gasket separates & protects moving parts of assembly from rubbing against the hard surfaces. Gasket is sealing element which seals against inlet of gases & liquids creating seals between two surfaces.

Gaskets are ideal for connecting two surfaces together by filling deformities. So they must be produced from material which is easily deformed and effectively fills any imperfections.  Usually spiral wound (semi metallic) gasket are manufactured from metal and soft filler material (like flexible graphite, PTFE)  Metal gasket must be compressed at higher stress to achieve effective sealing. 

Applications of Gasket : 

Gaskets are available in various specifications hence it’s a vital element in many manufacturing process.
Gasket material selection depends on the characteristics of material like resistant to temperatures, pressures, chemicals, acids, and alkaline media and in some cases, electrical or electromagnetic forces.
For instance, Gaskets can be found in cars, Medical devices, solar panels, trains, aircraft, Ships, Electrical equipment, Pumps and many applications.