Stabilized 'o' ring gasket seal

Abstract

A sealing gasket for sealing a flange face, especially a flange face that may be sensitive to uneven application of pressure or that cannot be provided with any sort of flange retaining means comprising a sharp angle in the flange surface. The gasket includes at least a metal ring, a reinforced fluoropolymer sheet, an O ring and a fluoropolymer protective shield. The metal ring is defined by inside and outside circumferences, by widely separated outwardly directed parallel surfaces that in turn define maximum thickness of the ring, by narrowly separated parallel surfaces defining opposing depressed portions in the ring and by opposing shoulders. Each of the widely separated parallel surfaces is covered by at least one reinforced fluoropolymer sheet having inside and outside surfaces positioned so that the inside surface of the sheet faces and covers at least one of the widely separated parallel surfaces and so that the outside surface faces outwardly. The gasket includes at least two O rings. The O rings have outside ring diameters about equal to a diameter of the shoulder, i.e. the distance from the shoulder to shoulder across the center of the metal ring. The O rings have thicknesses that are sufficient to extend beyond the outside surface of the reinforced fluoropolymer sheet. The narrowly separated parallel surfaces, the interior circumference, and the outside surface of the fluoropolymer sheets are covered by a fluoropolymer protective shield to further increase resistance to corrosive compounds.