A snap-fit pipe sealing gasket designed for receipt within a preformed groove provided within a female socket end of a joint of molecularly oriented thermoplastic pipe, the snap-fit pipe sealing gasket comprising:
- a ring-shaped elastomeric body having a substantially homogeneous composition which, when viewed in cross section, includes a leading nose region which terminates in a nose tip, the leading nose region being connected to a downwardly extending compression region by an intermediate planar region which forms a flat surface parallel to a horizontal axis drawn parallel to a central axis of the thermoplastic pipe, the leading nose region facing towards the female socket end of the thermoplastic pipe once the gasket is inserted within the thermoplastic pipe, the downwardly extending compression region forming a primary sealing surface for the gasket;
- wherein the leading nose region is joined to the intermediate planar region by a leading sloped surface region which defines an angle α with respect to the horizontal axis drawn parallel to the central axis of the thermoplastic pipe, wherein the leading sloped surface region forms an alignment ramp to guide a mating spigot end during insertion;
- wherein the downwardly extending compression region comprises an evenly sloping outer face of the gasket body which forms a lip region thereof, the lip region being separated from a trailing outer face of the gasket body by means of a V-shaped opening which defines a second angle β, the V-shaped opening allowing the lip region to bend inwardly as the mating male spigot end of the mating thermoplastic pipe section encounters the primary sealing surface of the gasket, the trailing outer face of the gasket body forming a convex outer arcuate region which connected to the nose region by a uniformly sloping exterior gasket surface, the outer face of the gasket forming a secondary sealing surface which seals with the preformed groove provided in the female socket end of the thermoplastic pipe, wherein the female socket end is belled;
- the gasket body also having a rigid reinforcing steel ring embedded therein which circumscribes a gasket interior at one circumferential location, the rigid reinforcing steel ring having a defined mid-point and a defined ring diameter or thickness which is on the order of 2.0 mm to 7.0 mm, and wherein the intermediate planar region has a given length defined between two vertical axes, and wherein the rigid reinforcing steel ring is positioned within the body of the gasket so that the length of the intermediate planar region extends at least one additional ring diameter or thickness towards the nose tip, so that the additional ring diameter or thickness is contained entirely between the two vertical axes, and wherein the body of the gasket also extends at least one ring thickness between the rigid reinforcing steel ring and the flat surface of the intermediate planar region.