Spiral Wound Gaskets are what you reach for when a regular gasket won’t do the job. Regular flat gaskets seal parallel flanges with good surface finish. Over time though, those properties deteriorate and the joint becomes harder to seal. That’s when it’s time to go spiral-wound.
Spiral wound gaskets also work well in high-temperature and high pressure conditions and with corrosive media. That’s why they’re the gasket of choice in many petrochemical plants where their long life helps reduce downtime.
Edge Sealing
Most gaskets are cut from sheet material and that means they seal on their flat surfaces. When flanges are out of parallel the gap between them varies, forcing the use of thicker material. Where the gap is smaller the material must compress more. Pretty quickly the material reaches the limits of what it can do.
In contrast, the spiral wound gasket seals on its edges rather than a flat surface. To do this a long thin strip of gasket material is coiled up to create a ring. Placed between flanges, it’s the sides of the strip that make the seal.
Built-In Spring
To add elastic recovery, ensuring that a seal is maintained regardless of how the joint moves, the gasket material is interleaved with a metal strip. The combined materials are then formed into an approximate ‘V’ section during the coiling process. That metal ‘V’ acts like a spring, pushing outwards against the flanges.
Spiral Wound Gasket Material Options
The choice of gasket material is critical. Usually a spiral-wound gasket is made from PTFE or graphite, both of which come in various grades. In addition, the metal is also selected for the appropriate degree of springiness combined with corrosion resistance and durability.
Spiral-wound gaskets usually come with both an inner metal core and an outer metal ring. These are thinner than the coiled gasket material, so limiting how much the gasket can compress. The inner core also increases blowout resistance; one reason this design works well with high pressures.
For ease of identification, the outer edge of every spiral-wound gasket is color-coded. These codes follow an ASME standard, make it easy to identify and order the replacement part before the joint is taken apart. That helps minimize downtime!
Ask About Going Spiral Wound
The spiral-wound gasket was invented by Flexitallic back in 1912 but today there are a number of manufacturers. The gaskets follow ASME standards but are not all the same as each company has their own materials and designs.
If you have a challenging joint to seal, ask if a spiral-wound gasket would be a good option. If you’re replacing an existing spiral-wound gasket, check the color-code and order the new part before taking the joint apart. As a spiral wound gasket supplier, Hennig Gasket stocks a large variety of spiral wound gaskets ready to ship. Contact us today.
