A rubber gasket is a cut-out or shaped piece of rubber used to fill any gaps between two matched or mating objects. For instance, a machine that uses a chamber through which gasses or liquids pass and that can be opened will have a gasket between the pieces that come apart. Gaskets create a perfect seal where two harder surfaces can’t be made to be completely air- or water-tight. Unlike a liquid-applied sealant such as caulking, rubber gaskets allow the two sides to be repeatedly separated and sealed.
An example is a head gasket for an internal combustion engine. Where the top of the engine is split, a gasket cut to the exact shape of the two edges around the metal block and the “lid” is fitted so that the forces of the combustion process are contained along with the circulating lubricant. The oil plug in the oil pan also uses a rubber gasket.
Gaskets for plumbing applications keep water from squirting out of faucets where the handles turn and where hoses are attached. If you want to keep water out of a metal roof, you use little rubber gaskets under the screw heads that hold the panels to the roof deck. Pressure cookers have a rubber ring gasket to seal the lid to the pot and another rubber gasket to hold the pressure cock, that metal piece that pops up when pressure begins to build. Rubber gaskets can be used around doors to keep out the rain, snow, wind and cold air.
With so many varied uses for rubber gaskets, you can safely say that modern industry, construction, and energy-efficient homes could not exist without them. If you’re looking for a certified gasket manufacturer, contact Automated Gasket Corporation today. We have NSF-61 certified materials and can design and produce custom gaskets for your equipment.
