Elastomeric gasket for fuel access door of an aircraft wing and a method for making the same

A method of making a gasket for use with a generally flat inner facing mating wall having an outer perimeter of a fuel access door and an opposed generally flat outward facing mating wall having an inner perimeter of a wing of an aircraft, the gasket having a porous, partially open metallic skeleton being generally tabular in nature and generally ring shaped, the skeleton having a generally flat upper surface and a generally flat lower surface, an inner perimeter wall and an outer perimeter wall;

• and a pliable, resilient, elastomeric, sticky, substantially air bubble free, homogeneous, coherent polyurethane body, substantially filling the openings of the skeleton and being generally tabular in nature, the body being ring shaped having a generally flat, tacky upper surface, a generally flat, tacky lower surface, an inner perimeter wall, and an outer perimeter wall;
• wherein the inner perimeter walls of both the skeleton and the body generally conform to the shape defined by the inner perimeter of the outward facing wall and wherein the outer perimeter walls of both the skeleton and the body generally conform to the shape defined by the outer perimeter of the fuel access door;
• and wherein the gasket is adapted to lay between the inner facing mating wall member and the outward facing mating wall member, the method comprising the steps of:
• providing a mold in the shape of the skeleton to receive the skeleton therein;
• selecting a polyurethane that will cure to form a sticky, pliable, resilient elastomer;
• pouring a pre-cured polyurethane mix of the selected polyurethane in the mold to substantially cover the skeleton;
• removing any air from the polyurethane mix;
• and
• allowing the polyurethane mix to cure.