Exothermic Wire for Bonding Substrates

A one-time use gasket of the type for sealing a cylinder head to a cylinder block in an internal combustion engine, said gasket comprising:

• a sheet-like body;
• at least one cylinder bore opening formed in said body;
• at least one fluid flow passage formed in said body, said fluid flow passage isolated from said cylinder bore opening;
• and
• said body being fabricated from a reactive multi-stranded exothermic assembly of the type for propagating an exothermic reaction in response to an initiating thermal impulse, whereby the heat produced during the exothermic reaction is sufficient to metallurgically fuse the cylinder head to the cylinder block while maintaining fluidic isolation between said cylinder bore opening and said fluid flow passage.

A method for establishing a fluid-tight seal between opposing surfaces having formed therebetween at least two discrete flow passages, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming a gasket from a reactive multi-stranded exothermic assembly of the type for propagating an exothermic reaction in response to an initiating thermal impulse;
• forming at least two spaced and isolated flow passages in the gasket for conducting a fluid material between the two opposing surfaces;
• aligning the openings in the gasket with the flow passages in the opposing surfaces;
• compressing the gasket between the opposing surfaces;
• initiating a propagating exothermic reaction in the gasket body;
• melting the opposing surfaces in response to the heat generated during the exothermic reaction;
• and
• metallurgically fusing the opposing surfaces together in regions around the flow passages to permanently seal the opposing surfaces together while permitting fluid exchange between the isolated flow passages.