Gasket having thermally insulated port closure assembly

Abstract

A gasket having a closure assembly secured over a port formed through the body thereof for thermally sealing and insulating the intake manifold from the cylinder head is disclosed. The closure assembly is formed from a metallic baffle plate, a thermal barrier plate formed from a heat insulating material, and a sealing plate formed from a material which is a relatively good heat conductor and which is resistant to degradation from high temperatures. The baffle plate is formed having a first plurality of tabs which extend outwardly therefrom in a co-planar manner, a second plurality of tabs which extend upwardly from the plane thereof, and a third plurality of tabs which extend downwardly from the plane thereof. The sealing plate is disposed adjacent to the lower surface of the baffle plate. The downwardly extending tabs of the baffle plate are bent inwardly over the outer peripheral edge of the sealing plate so as to secure it thereto. The thermal barrier plate is disposed adjacent to the upper surface of the baffle plate. The upwardly extending tabs of the baffle plate extend through the port and are bent outwardly over the upper surface of the gasket to retain the thermal barrier plate between the baffle plate and the gasket body, and to secure the closure assembly to the gasket body to form the gasket.