Low creep polytetrafluoroethylene form-in-place gasketing elements
AssigneeW. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
InventorsDavid Mills, Roy Nelson, Wulf Nibler, Heinrich Gutsmiedl
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Abstract
The present invention is an improved gasket for use in a wide variety of sealing applications. The gasket comprises a continuous, form-in-place gasket element, comprising layers of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, that has significant tensile strength in both the longitudinal and the transverse directions. As such, the gasketing element of the present invention provides all of the operational advantages of PTFE, while being dimensionally stable, resistant to creep relaxation and providing form-in-place dimensions, thus satisfying a wider range of sealing applications than conventional sealing materials.
Claims7
A form-in-place gasket element having both longitudinal and transverse axes, consisting essentially of layered parallel sheets of biaxially expanded PTFE film, said gasket having a quadrilateral cross-section, the layered sheets having orientation to impart strength along at least the gasket's transverse axis;
- whereby the gasket element under compression is resistant to creep relaxation along its transverse axis.
A method of using a form-in-place gasket element consisting essentially of layered parallel sheets of biaxially expanded PTFE film, comprising:
- placing the form-in-place gasket between sealing components;
- and
- sealing the gasket between said sealing components, wherein said gasket element under compression is resistant to creep relaxation along both its longitudinal and transverse axes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.