Title: Vibrationally decoupling gasket
Abstract: A gasket includes a fist sealing portion, a second sealing portion, and an elastic arm sealingly connecting between the two. The first sealing portion sealingly engages a first member and the second sealing portion sealingly engages a second member. The elastic arm is not highly compressed between the members, allowing the gasket to vibrationally decouple the first member from the second member.
Patent Number: 6,994,354 Issued on 02/07/2006 to Sakata
| Inventors:
|
Sakata; David (Livonia, MI)
|
| Assignee:
|
Freudenberg-NOK General Partnership (Plymouth, MI)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
342979 |
| Filed:
|
January 15, 2003 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
277/598; 277/634; 277/637; 277/916; 123/195.C; 285/226 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
F02F 11/00 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
277/591,634,636,637,641,593,598,916
123/195.C
285/226-229
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 2875917 | Mar., 1959 | Alkire.
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| 2998986 | Sep., 1961 | Buono.
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| 3159524 | Dec., 1964 | Cantabene et al.
| |
| 3195360 | Jul., 1965 | Burnett.
| |
| 3396712 | Aug., 1968 | Sakraida et al.
| |
| 3427776 | Feb., 1969 | Lake et al.
| |
| 3976312 | Aug., 1976 | Murphree.
| |
| 4067531 | Jan., 1978 | Sikula.
| |
| 4121845 | Oct., 1978 | Reynolds et al.
| |
| 4241944 | Dec., 1980 | Clark.
| |
| 4447172 | May., 1984 | Galbreath.
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| 4448430 | May., 1984 | Bright.
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| 4449742 | May., 1984 | Toerner et al.
| |
| 4499869 | Feb., 1985 | Visek.
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| 4667628 | May., 1987 | Lopez-Crevillen.
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| 4726609 | Feb., 1988 | Daignot et al.
| |
| 4958860 | Sep., 1990 | Akitsu.
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| 5213346 | May., 1993 | Thomson et al.
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| 5228420 | Jul., 1993 | Furuya et al.
| |
| 5255647 | Oct., 1993 | Kiczek.
| |
| 5267739 | Dec., 1993 | Vaughan.
| |
| 5329893 | Jul., 1994 | Drangel et al.
| |
| 5458344 | Oct., 1995 | Weiler et al.
| |
| 5516123 | May., 1996 | Eckel.
| |
| 5558580 | Sep., 1996 | Okuyama.
| |
| 5667224 | Sep., 1997 | Streckert et al.
| |
| 5716158 | Feb., 1998 | Hahn et al.
| |
| 5899463 | May., 1999 | Koch.
| |
| 5957100 | Sep., 1999 | Frohwerk et al.
| |
| 6161840 | Dec., 2000 | Boardman et al.
| |
| 6234044 | May., 2001 | Slon et al.
| |
| 6308959 | Oct., 2001 | Sokolihs et al.
| |
Other References
Spring-Fast Composite Grommet Edging, Device Technologies Catalog, 2000.
Ultra-Grip Clean Seal Inc. Catalog.
|
Primary Examiner: Pickard; Alison K.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wangerow; Ronald W., Harness, Dickey & Pierce, P.L.C.
Parent Case Text
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This clams the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application identified as
Application No. 60/349,024, filed Jan. 15, 2002.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A gasket adapted for sealing between a first member and a second member, the
gasket comprising:
a first sealing portion including a first elastomeric portion generally surrounding
a first flange portion, said first elastomeric portion being adapted to be in sealing
engagement with the first member;
a second sealing portion including a second elastomeric portion generally surrounding
a second flange portion, said second elastomeric portion being adapted to be in
sealing engagement with the second member, and spaced from the first sealing portion,
said first and second flange portions and said first and second elastomeric portions
of said first and second sealing portions including a plurality of axially aligned
pairs of apertures each adapted to receive a single fastening device extending
between the first and second members and through each of said pairs of apertures,
one of said first and second members being fixed relative to said fastening device,
and the other of said first and second members being slidably moveable relative
to said fastening device to accommodate vibrational relative movement between said
first and second members; and
an elastic arm sealingly connecting the first sealing portion to the second sealing
portion, with the elastic arm being in a less than fully compressed state and a
less than fully expanded state between the first sealing portion and the second
sealing portion, whereby the gasket is adapted to allow the first member to be
generally vibrationally decoupled from the second member.
2. The gasket according to claim 1 wherein the first sealing portion includes
sealing ribs.
3. The gasket according to claim 1 wherein the elastic arm is shaped in the form
of a membrane.
4. The gasket according to claim 1 wherein the elastic arm is shaped in the form
of a bellows.
5. A gasket adapted for sealing between a first member and a second member, the
gasket comprising:
a first sealing portion adapted to be in sealing engagement with the first member,
a second sealing portion adapted to be in sealing engagement with the second
member, and spaced from the first sealing portion, said first and second sealing
portions including a plurality of axially aligned apertures each adapted to receive
a fastening device extending between the first and second members; and
an elastic arm sealingly connecting the first sealing portion to the second sealing
portion, with the elastic arm being in a less than fully compressed state and a
less than fully expanded state between the first sealing portion and the second
sealing portion, whereby the gasket is adapted to allow the first member to be
generally vibrationally decoupled from tile second member; and
a fastener assembly extending through at least one of said plurality of axially
aligned apertures, with the fastener assembly having a compression limiter, an
elastomeric grommet, and a fastener extending through the compression limiter and
the grommet, and with the grommet adapted to engage the second member and the compression
limiter adapted to extend generally between the grommet and the first member.
6. A seal assembly comprising:
a first member;
a second member;
a first sealing portion including a first flange having a generally U-shaped
cross-section and a first elastomeric portion generally surrounding the first flange
with the first elastomeric portion having sealing ribs extending therefrom and
with the sealing ribs in sealing engagement with a member flange extending from
the first member;
a second sealing portion formed of an elastomeric material and in sealing engagement
with the second member, and spaced from the first sealing portion;
an elastic arm sealingly connecting the first sealing portion to the second sealing
portion, with the elastic arm being in a less than fully compressed state and a
less than fully expanded state between the first sealing portion and the second
sealing portion, whereby the gasket allows the first member to be generally vibrationally
decoupled from the second member; and
wherein the first member is an engine block and the second member is an oil pan.
7. A seal assembly comprising:
a first member;
a second member;
a first sealing portion including a first flange having a generally U-shaped
cross-section and a first elastomeric portion generally surrounding the first flange,
with the first elastomeric portion having sealing ribs extending therefrom, and
with the sealing ribs in sealing engagement with a member flange extending from
the first member;
a second sealing portion formed of an elastomeric material and in sealing engagement
with the second member, and spaced from the first sealing portion;
an elastic arm sealingly connecting the first sealing portion to the second sealing
portion, with the elastic arm being in a less than fully compressed state and a
less than fully expanded state between the first sealing portion end the second
sealing portion, whereby the gasket allows the first member to be generally vibrationally
decoupled from the second member; and
wherein the first member is an engine cylinder head and the second member is
a rocker/cam cover.
8. A seal assembly comprising:
a first member;
a second member;
a first sealing portion including a first flange having a centrally U-shaped
cross-section and a first elastomeric portion generally surrounding the first flange,
with the first elastomeric portion having sealing ribs extending therefrom, and
with the sealing ribs in sealing engagement with a member flange extending from
the first member;
a second sealing portion formed of an elastomeric material and in sealing engagement
with the second member, and spaced from the first sealing portion;
an elastic arm sealing connecting the first sealing portion to the second sealing
portion, with the elastic arm being in a less than fully compressed state and a
less than fully expanded state between the first sealing portion another second
sealing portion, whereby the gasket allows the first member to be generally vibrationally
decoupled from the second member; and
wherein said second sealing portion includes a second flange having a generally
U-shaped cross-section and a second elastomeric portion generally surrounding the
second flange, with the second elastomeric portion having sealing ribs extending
therefrom, and with the sealing ribs in sealing engagement with a member flange
extending from the second member.
Description
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
This invention relates in general to fluid seals. More specifically, this invention
relates to gaskets that connect two sealing portions, which prevent fluid leakage
between the two, while reducing the transmission of vibrations through the gasket.
In general, conventional gaskets require a relatively high compressive load between
the members being sealed in order for the gasket to provide an effective seal.
For example, a gasket placed between two stationary members, such as an engine
block and an oil pan, or an engine cylinder head and a valve/cam cover, is compressed
between these elements. However, while producing an effective seal, these highly
compressed gaskets can become a medium for transmitting vibrations, creating poor
noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) isolation characteristics between the two
members. That is, the vibration load input from one member is easily transferred
through the gasket to the other member. Moreover, in these applications that require
the high compressive sealing load, the number and placement of fasteners must compensate
for deflections caused by the high loading conditions in order to assure a good
seal all of the way around the gasket.
Examples of such conventional gaskets requiring a high sealing load between
the members include an elastomeric gasket, shaped as an O-ring or similar shape,
as well as an edge bond gasket, a carrier gasket, and a rubber coated metal (RCM)
gasket. All of these conventional gaskets require a high compressive sealing load
to assure an effective seal between the members, so the effectiveness of vibrational
isolation of one member from the other is poor. Another example of a conventional
gasket is one formed from a room temperature vulcanite (RTV) located between the
two members. The RTV is applied as a liquid in a thin layer and cures when exposed
to air. For effective sealing with the RTV, however, it requires a hard mount between
the members, which also provides poor vibration isolation.
In many applications, including automotive applications, it is desirable to reduce
the transmission of vibrations. A reduction of the transmission of vibrations can
result in a reduction in noise and harshness, so it is desirable to reduce the
transmission of vibrations between two sealed elements, such as an engine block
and an oil pan—or engine head and rocker/cam cover.
Thus, it is desirable to have a gasket that will properly seal between two
members while allowing for vibration isolation between the two members.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
In its embodiments, the present invention contemplates a gasket adapted for sealing
between a first member and a second member. The gasket includes a first sealing
portion adapted to be in sealing engagement with the first member, and a second
sealing portion adapted to be in sealing engagement with the second member, and
spaced from the first sealing portion. The gasket also includes an elastic arm
sealingly connecting the first sealing portion to the second sealing portion, with
the elastic arm being in a less than fully compressed state and a less than fully
expanded state between the first sealing portion and the second sealing portion,
whereby the gasket is adapted to allow the first member to be generally vibrationally
decoupled from the second member.
An advantage of the present invention is that effective sealing is achieved between
two members while providing for vibrational isolation between the two members.
Another advantage of the present invention is that a surface of each member
can be sealed independently of the surface on the other member, with a membrane
sealingly connected between the sealing surface of each member. This allows for
effective sealing without requiring high compressive loading between surfaces of
the members. By avoiding the high compressive loading, the gasket provides for
good vibrational isolation between the members.
A further advantage of the present invention is that the number of fasteners
can
be reduced since balancing of the gasket compressive sealing load is significantly
reduced. For example, the number of fasteners used to fasten an oil pan to an engine
block can be reduced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a partial, sectional view of a gasket mounted between two members
in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view, similar to FIG. 1, but on an enlarged scale
and with the section cut taken through a fastener location;
FIG. 3 is a partial, sectional view similar to FIG. 1, but illustrating a second
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a partial, sectional view of a gasket mounted between two members
in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a partial, sectional view of a gasket mounted between two members
in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a partial, sectional view of a gasket mounted between two members
in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a partial, sectional view of a gasket mounted between two members
in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a partial, sectional view of a gasket mounted between two members
in accordance with a seventh embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a partial, sectional view of a gasket mounted between two members
in accordance with an eighth embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a partial, sectional view of a gasket mounted between two members
in accordance with a ninth embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a partial, sectional view of a gasket mounted between two members
in accordance with a tenth embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 12 is a partial, sectional view of a gasket mounted between two members
in accordance with an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a first embodiment of the present invention. A gasket
10 is shown that includes a first sealing portion
12, a second sealing
portion
14, and an elastic arm
16 extending between the first portion
12 and the second portion
14. The first sealing portion
12
is in sealing engagement with a first member
18, while the second sealing
portion
14 is in sealing engagement with a second member
20. The
first member
18 and second member
20 may be, for example, an engine
block and an oil pan, or a rocker/cam cover and an engine block—although,
the gasket
10 of the present invention may be used to seal between other
types of components where a fluid is sealed in (or out) and a reduction in vibration
transmission between two components is desired. In FIGS. 1 and 2, if the first
member
18 is an engine block and the second member
20 is an oil pan,
then the oil side is preferably to the right as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, with the
atmosphere side to the left.
The first sealing portion
12 includes an elastomeric portion
22,
which surrounds a flange
24. The flange
24 is preferably formed of
a relatively stiff material, such as plastic or metal, in order to provide reinforcement
and increase the strength of the first sealing portion
12. Preferably, the
elastomeric portion
22 includes a pair of sealing ribs
26, which
increase the effectiveness of sealing the first sealing portion
12 against
the first member
18. The ribs
26 can be integrally molded with the
elastomeric portion
22. The second sealing portion
14 includes an
elastomeric portion
28, which surrounds a flange
30, similar to the
first sealing portion. Again, preferably, the elastomeric portion
28 includes
a pair of integral sealing ribs
32, which increase the effectiveness of
sealing the second sealing portion
14 against the second member
20.
The elastic arm
16 is preferably formed integrally with the first sealing
portion
12 and the second sealing portion
14, and made of an elastomeric
material such as rubber. The elastic arm
16 is not in a fully compressed
state nor in a fully expanded state, so it can relatively easily flex. Since the
elastic arm
16 is relatively flexible and not subjected to relatively high
compressive forces, with the first sealing portion
12 spaced from the second
sealing portion
14, the first portion
12 and the second portion
14
are essentially vibrationally decoupled. And yet, a complete seal between the two
members
18,
20 is achieved. The elastic arm
16 may be relatively
smooth, acting like a membrane, as is illustrated in the FIGS. 1 and 2, or, alternatively,
may be formed as a bellows, as illustrated in FIG. 4, discussed below.
The distance between the members
18,
20 is generally established
at the fastener locations. Each fastener assembly
36 acts to limit the compression
in the elastic arm
16 by maintaining a spacing between the members
18,
20, and to assure that the vibration isolation between the members
18,
20 is maintained, (one fastener assembly location shown in FIG. 2). While
only one fastener assembly
36 is shown, the others can be essentially the
same. The number of fastener locations and spacing depends upon the particular
members being joined, the pressure difference of the fluids, as well as other typical
factors considered for sealing between two members. However, by employing gaskets
according to this invention, it is likely that the number of fasteners needed to
join two members, such as an engine block and oil pan, can be reduced since the
balancing of a relatively high gasket load is significantly reduced.
Each fastener assembly
36 preferably includes a compression limiter
38
surrounding a fastener
40, which abuts and seals against the first sealing
portion
12. The first sealing portion
12 may include an additional
sealing rib
42 that seals against a surface of the compression limiter
38.
The compression limiter
38 may have a flange
44 that abuts the first
sealing portion
12. The fastener assembly
36 also includes a grommet
46 that is received on a lip
48 formed within a bolt hole
50
of the second member
20. A grommet support
52 surrounds the grommet
46 and abuts against the compression limiter
38. The grommet
46
is preferably formed of an elastomeric material in order to maintain the vibration
isolation between the first and second members
18,
20, while the
grommet support
52 is preferably made of a relatively stiffer material in
order to support the grommet while providing a spacing between the compression
limiter
38 and the bolt head
54. Of course, the arrangement and shape
of the compression limiters and grommets at the various fastener locations can
be modified to suit the particular members being joined.
In the prior art, the sealing load was established by the two members being compressed
together, with a gasket between them. This resulted in any elastomeric portion
of the gasket being essentially fully compressed, so it cannot provide any type
of vibrational isolation between the members. On the other hand, as discussed above,
in the embodiments of the present invention, each sealing portion creates most
of its own sealing load against a portion of the particular member against which
it is sealing—this allows the elastic arm to be less than fully compressed
or fully expanded. Since the gasket
10 is not highly compressed with a compression
sealing load between the members
18,
20, there is minimal transfer
of vibration between the members
18,
20 via the gasket
10,
(vibrationally decoupling the first and second members). Moreover, the fastener
assemblies
36 help to maintain the vibration isolation.
FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of a gasket indicated generally at
110
according to this invention. Elements in this embodiment that are similar to elements
in the first embodiment will be similarly designated, but with a 100-series number.
The gasket
110 again includes a first sealing portion
112, a second
sealing portion
114, and an elastic arm
116 that connects the sealing
portions
112,
114. In this embodiment, the elastic arm
116
is located on the opposite side of the sealing portions
112,
114,
thus illustrating that the concave surface of the elastic arm
116 may face
either way relative to the fluid being sealed, if so desired.
FIG. 4 illustrates a third embodiment of a gasket
210 according to this
invention. Elements in this embodiment that are similar to elements in the first
embodiment will be similarly designated, but with a 200-series number. The gasket
210 includes a first sealing portion
212, a second sealing portion
214, and a flexible bellows
216 connected between them. Alternatively,
the bellows
216 can be in the form of a membrane, if so desired. While the
other embodiments disclosed herein illustrate a membrane for the elastic arm, a
bellows may be employed instead, if so desired.
The first sealing portion
212 has a generally U-shaped cross section that
surrounds a flange
260 of the first member
218, with the flange
224
now forming a clip surrounded by the elastomeric portion
222. Preferably,
a series of sealing ribs
226 extend from the elastomeric portion
222
toward the member flange
260. The flange
224 is shaped to create
an opening between the sealing ribs
226 that is smaller than the thickness
of the member flange
260 and is made of a material that will spring back
to its original shape. So, when the first sealing portion
212 is assembled
to the member flange
260, the flange
224 will create a sealing force
on the ribs
226 against the member flange
260. The sealing ribs
226
will cause the sealing force to peak at those locations, thus creating an effective
seal along the surface of the member, as is known to those skilled in the art.
Moreover, the sealing force will secure the first sealing portion
212 to
the member flange
260. Consequently, the first sealing portion
212
seals against and is secured to the first member
218 without requiring any
compression force applied by the second member
220.
Likewise, the second sealing portion
214 has a generally U-shaped
cross section, with the flange
230 forming a clip surrounded by the elastomeric
portion
228, and sealing ribs
232 protruding from the elastomeric
portion
228. The sealing ribs
232 are pressed against the member
flange
262 with a sealing force sufficient to create a seal between the
second sealing portion
214 and the second member
220. The sealing
force will secure the second sealing portion
214 to the member flange
262.
The elastic arm
216, in this embodiment shown as a bellows, spans the
distance between the first and second sealing portions
212,
214,
and seals between them without the need for high compressive loads. Thus, the first
and second members
218,
220 are vibrationally decoupled from each other.
FIG. 5 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Elements in
this embodiment that are similar to elements in the previous embodiments will be
similarly designated, but with a 300-series number. The gasket
310 includes
a first sealing portion
312 that mounts to a flange
360 of a first
member
318, and a second sealing portion
314 that mounts to a flange
362 of a second member
320, in the same way as in the third embodiment.
In this embodiment, however, the elastic arm
316 is much shorter. The shorter
elastic arm
316 creates a more compact assembly, but likely does not allow
for as much vibrational isolation as with the third embodiment.
FIG. 6 illustrates a fifth preferred embodiment of a gasket
410 according
to this invention. Elements in this embodiment that are similar to elements in
the previous embodiments will be similarly designated, but with 400-series numbers.
The gasket
410 includes a first sealing portion
412, a second sealing
portion
414, and an elastic arm
416. The sealing portions
412,
414 again have generally U-shaped cross sections with a curved flange
424,
430, respectively, for creating sealing forces. The sealing portions
412,
414 in this embodiment, however, are oriented to accommodate laterally offset
flanges
460,
462, of members
418,
420, respectively,
which each extend toward the opposite member. Since the sealing force acting against
the first member
418 is created by the first sealing portion
412
and the sealing force acting against the second member
420 is created by
the second sealing portion
414, the sealing portions
412,
414
and member flanges
460,
462 can have various orientations while still
creating a good seal and vibrationally decoupling the members.
FIG. 7 illustrates a sixth preferred embodiment of a gasket
510 according
to this invention. Elements in this embodiment that are similar to elements in
the previous embodiments will be similarly designated, but with 500-series numbers.
This embodiment is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 6, but with a different sealing
and retaining arrangement for the first and second sealing portions (only the second
sealing portion
514 illustrated), but with a similar elastic arm
516.
The flange
562 of the second member
520 includes a retaining protrusion
566 extending therefrom. The elastic portion
528 surrounds the flange
530, but preferably does not include sealing ribs. Instead, the elastic
portion
528 catches on and abuts against the retaining protrusion
566
to create a seal. The flange
530 still creates the sealing and retaining
force for the second sealing portion
514. The retaining protrusion may be
cast, molded, or formed in some other preferred way on the flange
562.
FIG. 8 illustrates a seventh preferred embodiment of a gasket
610 according
to this invention. Elements in this embodiment that are similar to elements in
the previous embodiments will be similarly designated, but with 600-series numbers.
A second sealing portion
614 is similar to the second sealing portion in
the fifth embodiment of the present invention, with a generally U-shaped flange
630 creating a sealing and retaining force for sealing ribs
632 abutting
a flange
662 of a second member
620. The first sealing portion
612
is now shaped similar to an O-ring and fits into a recess
668, with an interference
fit between the two in order to create a sealing and retaining force between them.
Again, the first seal portion
612 forms a seal against the first member
618 without requiring any compressive force contributed by the second member
620. An elastic arm
616 extends between and is preferably formed
integral with the first and second sealing portions
612,
614. As
with the previous embodiments, the gasket
610 provides a good seal while
vibrationally decoupling the members
618,
620.
FIG. 9 illustrates an eighth preferred embodiment of a gasket
710 according
to this invention. Elements in this embodiment that are similar to elements in
the previous embodiments will be similarly designated, but with 700 series numbers.
The gasket
710 includes a first sealing portion
712 that is similar
in shape to an O-ring, a second sealing portion
714 that is also similar
in shape to an O-ring, and an elastic arm
716 extending between them. The
elastic arm
716 can be integrally formed with the first and second sealing
portions
712,
714, or alternatively, it can be formed separately
and then attached in a subsequent operation, such as a bonding operation. Each
sealing portion
712,
714 fits into a corresponding recess
768,
770 in a first and second member
718,
720, respectively. Each
sealing portion
712,
714 is press fit into its corresponding recess
768,
770 in order to create the sealing and retention forces. Again,
the compression forces are not created by compressing the first and second members
718,
720 together, allowing for vibrational decoupling between the two.
FIG. 10 illustrates a ninth preferred embodiment of a gasket
810 according
to this invention. Elements in this embodiment that are similar to elements in
the previous embodiments will be similarly designated, but with 800-series numbers.
This embodiment is similar to the eight embodiment, except that the first and second
sealing portions
812,
814 are rectangular shaped in cross section.
Each sealing portion
812,
814 fits into a corresponding recess
868,
870, in a first and second member
818,
820, respectively.
An elastic arm
816 extends between the two sealing portions
812,
814. The elastic arm
816 will be slightly compressed during assembly
in order to provide a sealing force for the first and second sealing portions
812,
814, but is much less than fully compressed in order to maintain vibration
isolation between the members
818,
820.
FIG. 11 illustrates a tenth preferred embodiment of a gasket
910 according
to this invention. Elements in this embodiment that are similar to elements in
the previous embodiments will be similarly designated, but with 900-series numbers.
The first and second sealing portions
912,
914 are essentially the
same as in the ninth embodiment, but the elastic arm
916 is longer.
FIG. 12 illustrates an eleventh preferred embodiment of a gasket
1010
according to this invention. Elements in this embodiment that are similar to elements
in the previous embodiments will be similarly designated, but with 1000-series
numbers. A first sealing portion
1012 has a pair of sealing extensions
1026
that fit into a corresponding pair of recesses
1068 in the first member
1018. A second sealing portion
1014 has a pair of sealing extensions
1032 that fit into a corresponding pair of recesses
1070, with a
membrane extending between the first and second sealing portions
1012,
1014.
This gasket
1010 also includes a permeation membrane
1074 secured
to one surface of the gasket
1010. Although not shown in the other embodiments,
a permeation membrane can also be employed with those embodiments, if so desired.
Each sealing portion
1012,
1014 can, as an alternative, include a
stiffening flange, if so desired. Moreover, as an alternative, the permeation membrane
1074 can be located on the opposite surface of the gasket
1010—depending
upon which side of the seal is sealing against an aggressive fluid.
While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail,
those familiar with the art to which this invention relates will recognize various
alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention as defined by
the following claims.
*
