Whilst gaskets are a relatively low cost component, they are vital for so many industrial applications. Choosing the right gasket material is essential for ensuring the efficiency, safety, and longevity of all kinds of systems. With a vast range of materials available, selecting the right one can sometimes be challenging.

A whole range of factors come into play when choosing the right high performance materials for gaskets, including temperature, pressure, exposure to chemicals, and the application environment. Failing to take any of these factors into consideration could result in gasket failure, which leads to the need for gasket replacement, but could also have a much bigger and more expensive impact if applications are exposed to chemicals, contaminants or the elements.

In this article, we’ll explore the key considerations to help you select the ideal gasket material for your specific needs, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.

The gasket’s purpose

In industrial applications, a gasket is a seal that fills the space between surfaces, preventing leaks. It acts as a flexible, durable buffer, stopping liquids, gaskets, chemicals or other contaminants from entering where they shouldn’t be or escaping. Gaskets are relied upon in pipelines, engines and machinery, where parts are joined together. Gaskets manufactured from the right materials provide tight seals in the industrial environment they are meant for, making sure systems work safely and efficiently.

Selecting gasket materials

Choosing the right gasket is essential to prevent gasket failure, as this could lead to equipment failure, safety issues, unexpected repair and replacements costs, as well as extremely costly downtime in industrial processes. As there are so many gasket materials to choose from, selecting the right one can be a perplexing task. 

To choose a suitable material, you’ll first need to consider the primary purpose of your gasket, for example:

• What environment will your gasket be used in? Will it be exposed to environmental conditions where it will need to seal against liquids, dust, direct sunlight, or extreme temperatures?
• What other materials or substances will the gasket come into contact with? For example, contact with oils or chemicals will limit the range of suitable materials you can choose from.
• Think about the level of pressure a gasket will be exposed to. A harder material will provide better resistance where there is a larger gap that needs to be sealed in a static application.

Some of the most common gasket materials include rubbers, polymers, corks, foams and composite materials, all of which have different cellularity, hardness and compressibility. Let’s look at two of the most popular and valuable groups of materials used for applications in many industrial sectors.

Rubber gaskets

Rubber is an elastomeric material, which makes it very popular in gasket production. The benefits of rubber gaskets are that they are highly flexible, making them able to undergo a degree of deformation without permanent damage, loss of shape, or loss of attributes. Certain grades are also resistant to extreme heat, along with oils, and UV rays, maintaining tight seals even when exposed to these factors.

Silicone gaskets

Cellular silicones are another popular choice for gaskets, available in rubber, foam and sponge form. HT800 silicone sponge is a very popular choice for gaskets, providing protection on a wide range of outdoor communications, electronics and lighting enclosures, as it shows excellent resistance to the elements and a wide temperature range. For these reasons, HT800 silicone sponge gaskets are used widely in applications for the electronics and transit industries, reducing shock and vibration, and preventing the ingress of moisture, wind driven rain, UV rays, dust and fire.

Advice on material selection

To choose suitable gasket materials, particularly when the wrong choice could be extremely costly, it’s always recommended to contact a company with expertise in high performance rubber and plastic materials, and gasket manufacturing. 

CB Frost & Co is a leading specialist supplier and converter of rubber and plastics, supplying high performance materials and products to practically all major industries. For advice on choosing the most appropriate gasket material, or guidance on gasket manufacturing processes, visit cbfrost-rubber.com or call +44 (0)121 773 8494.