Characterization of Sealing Behavior of Gaskets for the Leak Rate Based Design of Gasketed Bolted Flanged Connections

This paper discusses the sealing behavior of gaskets according to the gasket testing procedure HPIS Z104 established in Japan. The testing procedure consists of eleven gasket stress levels while the internal pressure is constant. It takes about 3 hours to complete one test, which is acceptable for gasket manufacturers. The test method is going to be effective as the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) soon. Several sheet gaskets and spiral wound gaskets were tested based on the test method HPIS Z104 and test results are compared and discussed in this paper. Based on the test results, experimental formulas are proposed to approximate the sealing behavior of gaskets. It is shown that the sealing behavior of gaskets can be well characterized using the proposed testing procedure and the experimental formulas. The formulas have the possibility of application to the design of gasketed bolted flanged connections. It is also shown that the sealing performance of spiral wound gaskets with graphite and PTFE fillers is as good as that of sheet gaskets under an equal gasket load.