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GASKET, GLAND PACKING & ELASTOMERS
Gasket, Gland packing and Elastomers all are used for sealing purposes in
different type of joints and in various conditions and application. Whether
to use gasket, gland packing or o rings it depends upon the type of joint,
ease of application and joint severity. Gaskets are generally used in pipe
line flanges, stationery mating faces e.g. cylinder head or split casing of
compressor or turbine or centrifugal pumps etc.. Gland packing is used in
relative moving parts when 100% sealing is not required. e.g. in
reciprocating plunger pumps,

centrifugal pump shaft gland packing,

Gate/Glove valve stem/spindle packing etc.

O-ring may be used as seal in stationery mating surfaces as well as on

parts having relative movement e.g. between two stationary faces of
centrifugal pump split casing, Reciprocating compressors Cylinder head,

centrifugal compressor interstage diffuser, piston rod packing cups of

reciprocating compressor, mechanical seal of centrifugal pumps etc. In all
above sealing applications, used for specific services and conditions, the
MOC of the O-ring may be different.
GASKETS: - Gaskets are used between two mating parts to seal the
leakage of the media flowing through the mating parts. Gaskets may be
metallic or non-metallic, depends on the temperature, pressure and the
properties of the media. In general, in industrial purposes asbestos fiber
jointing sheet of various grade conform to IS or BS standards are used.
However due to bad affect of asbestos fibers on human health, Asbestos
material is under phase out mode. Many other non- asbestos fibers have
been developed for this purpose.
Depending on the service conditions, gasket jointing sheets may be
graphite filled asbestos for high temperature services, steel wire reenforced graphite filled asbestos for high temperature and high pressure
services, or wire mesh reinforced graphite jointing sheet suitable for very
high temperature and pressure services. For acid service Teflon filled, for
oil and alkaline services rubber compound filled gaskets are used. The
main purpose of asbestos sheet bonded with different compound is to
meet the service requirement and not to get disintegrate at operating
conditions. A maintenance engineer should select the right type of
asbestos gaskets for right services and shall keep in mind the cost and
effectiveness of the selected grade for specific service.
There are many asbestos gasket manufacturer in India and their
brands are known in the industries e.g. Champion, Hindustan composites ,
Klingerite etc. Each manufacturer has their own nomenclature and grade
for various gaskets. Some of the manufacturers help by giving the
equivalent chart of the gaskets of different manufacturers.

Two different grades of Asbestos jointing

Metalic Gaskets:There are different type of metallic gaskets e.g. spiral wound gasket,
jacketed gaskets, soft iron gaskets (which may come in different shapes).
Spiral wound gasket consists of outer guide ring, inner guide ring and
sealing element. The outer and inner guide rings hold the sealing element
in place. These rings can be

of carbon steel or any grade of stainless steel. In general sealing elements

is made up of asbestos filler wound in a spiral way with SS back-up. Filler
material may be Teflon, graphite or non-asbestos fibers.
The main advantages of spiral wound gasket is that it very easy to use, it
does not tear off, and can be re-used also depending upon the condition.
Typical nomenclature of a spiral wound gasket given below.
4-150# CS, means the gasket is with CS inner and outer Rings for 4
pipeline flanges of 150lb rating/class flange.
4 600 # 310 :- Inner and outer rings are of SS 310 material, for 600Lb
rating flanges of 4 size.
4 300 # 316 :- Inner and outer rings are of SS 316 material, for 300Lb
rating flanges of 4 size.

There used to be limitation of sizes for Spiral wound gaskets but now a
days gaskets as big as 2500 mm OD are easily manufactured for the
specific uses. But in very big size gaskets, Gasket thickness are kept high.
Jacketed Gaskets:Jacketed gaskets are frequently used in different type of heat exchangers,
vessel

jointing

particularly

where

tong

and

groove

joints

are

there.Advantages are numerous. They are easy to install, easy to store,

low cost, long shelf life, high service life, quicker delivery from
manufacturer, they can be made as big as needed and in required
thickness but these gaskets require comparatively higher torque and skill
for tightening and making joints leak proof.
Jacketed gaskets consist of a sheet metal jacket and a filler of asbestos.
The jacket metal should in general is annealed Stainless steel but it can be
copper, brass, aluminum, or monel as well. Filler material is generally
asbestos but it can be Teflon, ceramic fiber or Graphite depending on the
service.
Metallic Gaskets of soft iron (Hardness <120 BHN) of Hexagonal or
octagonal Cross section are used in Ring Joint Flanges for very high
pressure more than 900 lb rating/class flanges.
Other metallic gaskets are Lense gasket, delta gaskets and bridge man
gaskets which are being used in special services at very high pressure.
Some are shown below
API ring joint gaskets come in two basic types, an oval cross section and
an octagonal cross section. These basic shapes are used in pressures up
to 5,000 psi. The dimensions are standardized and require specially
grooved flanges.

The octagonal cross section has a higher sealing efficiency than the oval
and would be the preferred gasket. However, only the oval cross section
can be used in the old type round bottom groove. The newer flat bottom
groove design will accept either the oval or the octagonal cross section.
The sealing surfaces on the ring joint grooves must be smoothly finished

to 63 Microinches and be free of objectionable ridges, tool or chatter

marks. They seal by an initial line contact or a wedging action as the
compressive forces are applied. The hardness of the ring should always be
less than the hardness of the flanges. Dimensions for ring joint gaskets
and grooves are covered in ASME B1 6.20, API 6A, and ASME/ANSI B 16.5.

RING-TYPE JOINT OVAL GASKET

Made for API-type ring joint flanges. Cross section matches standard and
special grooves for uses confined mainly to oil and petroleum industries
and LOX service. Basic shapes are used at pressures to 10,000 psi.
Standardized and made-to-order dimensions. Close tolerances in matching
rings with flange grooves are meticulously maintained.

RING-TYPE JOINT OCTAGONAL GASKET

Similar to oval gasket but providing greater sealing effectiveness.

DELTA GASKET
Triangular-shaped gasket inserted into triangular groove. Pressure range,
5,000 psi and higher. Groove and gasket dimensions must be machined
and precise to accept this type gasket. A delta gasket is a pressure
actuated gasket used primarily on pressure vessels and valve bonnets at
very high pressures in excess of 5000 psi. As with the lens gasket,
complete drawings and material specifications must be supplied. Internal
pressure forces the gasket material to expand when the pressure forces
tend to separate the flanges. Extremely smooth surface finishes of 63
microinches or smoother are required when using this type of gasket.

LENS GASKET
A line contact seal designed for high-pressure piping systems and certain
uses in pressure-vessel heads. Also available in "bellows" construction.
This construction is pressure-actuated in certain uses, depending upon
size and pressure.

BRIDGEMAN GASKET
The bridgeman gasket is a pressure activated gasket for use on pressure
vessel heads and valve bonnets for pressures of 1500 psi and above. The
cross section of the gasket is such that internal pressure acting against
the ring forces it against the containing surface making a self-energized
seal. Bridgeman gaskets are frequently silver plated or lead plated to
provide a softer surface and minimize the force required to flow the gasket
metal into the flange surface.

.
DOUBLE-ANGLE GASKET
For extremely high precision flanges and special applications
ASME B 16.20-1998 STANDARD covers the details of metallic gaskets
like Ring joint, spiral wound and jacketed gaskets for pipe flanges.
ASME B 16.21-1992 STANDARD covers the requirement of non-metallic
flat gaskets for pipe flanges.
GLAND PACKING : In order to prevent leakages of media from stem of a
valve, rotating shaft of Centrifugal pump or a reciprocating plunger pump,

a sealing element must be introduced and this can be done by providing

gland packing. Gland packing is a non-positive sealing which allows the
relative movement through it. Gland packing consists of a fibrous soft
lubricated material like polymeric material e.g. woven PTFE rope, Kevlar
filled Asbestos, Graphite filled asbestos etc. This soft fibrous material is
packed tightly between the moving parts and the stationary housing.
Depending on the service conditions, different grade and size (ready cut)
of gland packing are available. It may be round or square in cross section.
The gland packing ropes have some fixed shelf life. After expiry of shelf
life packing become stiff due to loss of moisture and lubricant and it may
not perform as per design and leakage will occur.
In case of requirement of zero leakages of media to environment
mechanical seals are used in place gland packing which is a costly affair.
In Industries it is decided at the time of basic engineering of the plant
whether to use gland packing or mechanical seal, depending upon the
hazardous or toxicity of the system and requirement.
ORING / ELASTOMERS :

An O ring is a endless ring of elastomer

material, which when compressed in a groove of sealing surfaces, react

like a high viscosity fluid which transmits applied stresses in every
direction consequently serves as a barrier, blocking the leak paths
between the sealing surfaces. Sealing can be Static Seal in which
sealing action created between two stationery-mating surface and
Dynamic Seal in which mating surface have relative movement.
The importance or role of an O-ring can be judged from the failure
of American Space shuttle Challenger in 1986 which blow up because of
failure of a simple O-ring.
O-Ring offer several advantages over other sealing systems due to
simplicity of constructions, standardized seal dimensions, wide selection
of elastomer materials suitable for both static and dynamic application,
low cost and good sealing capabilities. Sealing is always achieved through
a positive compression or squeezing action, resulting in a deformation of
the O-Ring cross section. The most important characteristic of an O-ring is
its

resistances

to

compression

set

or

residual

deformation.

The

performance of the O-ring sealing depends upon the design of an O-Ring,

selection of proper O-Ring material, dimensions of the gland grooves etc.
The simple geometry is the main characteristic of an O-ring which in
conjunction with proper elastomer selection does the sealing. The cross
sectional size of the O-ring is always less than the width of the O-ring
grooves and the depth of groove is less than the cross section of the Oring.
Generally the width of the O-Ring groove on the gland plate is abont
20~30% more than the cross section or the o ring and the depth of groove
is 15~25% less than the O-ring cross section. It may differ from material
to material and service condition.
L

DEPTH OF GROVE

WIDTH OF GROVE

CROSS SECTION DIA OF ORING

The O-ring squeeze after installation and in operation .The fluid ( gas or
liquid) exert pressure on the O-ring which block the escape route and thus
preventing leakages. It may seal on both side as the fluid pressure change
its direction, the sealing side also change. The hardness of the O-ring
which is called the shore hardness (measured by Duro meters on Scale
A) is also plays an important role. If the width of the groove is too large
then it will not seal after squeezing and if the width is too less it will not
allow the fluid to exert pressure.
Therefore the dimension of the O-ring groove in the Gland, the cross
section of the O-ring, the material of the O-ring and the shore hardness of
the O-ring defines the sealing efficiency in particular service. Different O
ring materials are required for different service conditions.
Common O-ring materials which are used in industries with application
and properties are given below.
1. NEOPRENE:-Good resistance to petroleum oils and good abrasion
strength
Temperature range- 40F~225F Hardness 65-70.
2. VITON :-Excellent Temperature and chemical resistance
Temp. range 20F ~ 400F Hardness 75.
3. SILICONE :- Broad Temperature range, Poor resistance to oil an
abrasive. Temp range 80F~400F Hardness 70
4. EPDM/EPR :-Poor resistance to Petroleum oil & fuel
Temp range 65F~250F
5. KALREZ :- High Temperature and excellent resistance to chemicals
Temp range 10F~600F
6. BUNA/NITRILE/NBR:-

Good resistance to Petroleum, hydro carbons

widely used for oil services

Temp range 40F~250F
7. PTFE :- Excellent Temperature range various chemical and fuel
resistance non-elastic
Temp range (-)250F ~ 450F

FAILURE OF O-RING :- O-Ring seals often fail pre-maturely in application

because of improper design or material selection. One major factor for
premature failure of O-ring seal is the extreme environment in which seal
are expected to perform. The sealing environment can consist of anything
from inert gases at room temperature to aggressive gases at very high
temperature, which results in degradation or swelling of the sealing
components or out gassing.
O- ring seal may fail due to
1) Abrasion and the contributing factors are rough sealing surface,
excessive temperature, abrasive particles in the media

2) Compression Set: The contributing factors are excessive compression

or poor elastomers with high compression set not suitable for the service.

3) Chemical Degradation :- Due to incompatibility of the elastomer with

the chemical or thermal environment.

4) Extrusion :- Due to excessive clearances, Excessive pressure, low

hardness of elastomer, sharp gland edges, improper sizing excessive
clearance.

5) Out gassing :- The seal may exhibit a decrease in cross sectional size
and the main cause is improper cured or raw elastomer, low hardness.

6) Over compression :- The seal exhibits parallel flat surfaces and may
develop circumferential splits due to improper design, Chemical or
thermal volume changes or excessive compression.

7) Spiral failure :- The seal exhibits cuts or marks which spiral around its
circumference due to tight installation, low hardness, Irregular O-ring
surface finish, excessive gland width, rough gland surface.

8) Thermal Degradation :- The seal may exhibits radial cracks on the

highest temperature surface sign of softening , a shimmy surface due to
elastomer thermal properties, Excessive temperature cycling.

IS-9975 (Part 31-1984) Standard covers the specifications of O-ring which

includes seal housing dimensions, Tolerances and Design criteria for
standard applications.