The most common metallic gasket used in industrial facilities is a spiral wound gasket. Spiral wound gaskets are metal-filler composite rings used to seal pipes, particularly between flanges. Read More…
Leading Manufacturers
Phelps Industrial Products, LLC
Laurel, MD | 800-876-7325Phelps Industrial Products is a major manufacturer, fabricator and distributor for a wide range of industries throughout the world. We employ a wide range of both computerized high speed and manual equipment to fulfill the toughest demands. We also have a wide range of compressed, elastomeric and non-elastomeric materials available. Since our founding in 1945, we have taken great pride in our ability to provide quality solutions for our customers’ needs.
Gardico
Seattle,WA | 800-537-9663As a supplier of gaskets since 1977, Gardico is dedicated to customers in all industrial sectors needing standard & custom gaskets of superior workmanship. Gardico works with a variety of foam, fiber, felt, cork, plastics, metals & numerous other materials to meet all of their customers’ needs.
REDCO Rubber Engineering & Development Company
Carson City, NV | 800-733-2648REDCO is your complete source for molded gaskets or die cut gaskets, using a wide range of materials. We pride ourselves on just-in-time delivery and practice a "zero-defect" policy. Since our founding in 1948, it has been our goal to be a one-stop place for your gasket needs.
Kent Rubber Supply Co.
Grand Rapids, MI | 616-538-4970Since 1946, Kent Rubber Supply has been providing the industry with state-of-the-art gaskets. Leveraging the best equipment and the most skilled staff, we ensure we continuously meet our customers unique needs—both domestic and offshore. Our team is capable of prototyping, samples, low-run, or large-volume production. We are confident that our high-tech, industry-leading precision equipment can meet–or exceed–your needs.
RD Rubber Technology Corporation
Santa Fe Springs, CA | 562-941-4800RD Rubber Technology Corp is an ISO 9001:2015 / AS9100:2016 certified and ITAR registered company. We offer compression, transfer, injection and Liquid Injection molding, rubber to metal bonding, engineering support, tooling design, machining and more. Our customers rely on us to give them the best possible production gaskets. From aerospace to medical, food processing to military applications we build trust by being responsive to your needs.
PDI Gaskets & Seals
Newport, MN | 866-901-0014High-quality gaskets and seals are our priority at PDI Gaskets & Seals. We offer a wide range of brands and sizes for our gaskets and seals, and we even offer custom options. We carry a wide line of products including soft gaskets, metallic gaskets, sanitary gaskets, gasket sheet, gasket tape, fiberglass tape, joint sealant, expansion joints, packing, absorbents, and o-rings. If there is a product you need but don't see on our site, please reach out, and we will find it for you!
Premier Seals Manufacturing
Akron, OH | 877-771-6766Our company is the gaskets experts. We have over 30 years of experience, and we have a huge knowledge base of rubber gasket technology and other forms of manufacturing methods. We can create rubber extrusions, molding, die cutting, lathe cutting, coating, and more.
Britech Industries
Stuart, FL | 772-286-9278Manufacturer of standard and custom rubber gaskets, made of EPDM, neoprene, nitrile, dense, recovery sponge rubber and silicone compounds. Secondary processes such as die cutting, notching, and glue splicing are offered.
National Rubber Corp.
Canonsburg, PA | 866-672-8100Whether your requirements for custom extruded parts are large or small, multi-dimensional or simple, our engineers will help in finding the solution to meet your needs here at National Rubber Corporation.
Custom Fabricating & Supplies
Franklin, WI | 800-556-7188CFS is an ISO 9001:2015 manufacturer of custom gaskets utilizing materials such as silicone rubber, EPDM, Poron®, Santoprene®, RN-8011 and Viton®. We can source the gasket material or use customer-supplied materials. Our in-house engineers will work with you to ensure the perfect fit for your custom gasket needs. CFS offers large format cutting, adhesive laminating, and kiss-cutting or split liners for your gaskets. Small runs are a possibility utilizing our dieless knife cutting capabilities.
Spira Manufacturing Corp.
San Fernando, CA | 818-764-8222Our team at Spira strives to bring you the best gaskets on the market. We exhibit our commitment to quality products by staying at the forefront of ever-changing manufacturing technology. We offer RFI gaskets to suit various applications, with groove-mounted, surface-mounted, and honeycomb filter configurations available. Contact us and we will help you find the gasket that suits your requirements.
Arizona Sealing Devices, Inc.
Chandler, AZ | 480-892-7325Arizona is your complete source for standard and custom gaskets, o-rings, seals and more since 1989. Call Arizona Sealing Devices first to solve your die cut gasket needs and you’ll receive same day shipping on stock items plus full custom capabilities.
What are Spiral Wound Gaskets?
The most common metallic gasket used in industrial facilities is a spiral wound gasket. Spiral wound gaskets are metal-filler composite rings used to seal pipes, particularly between flanges.
Flanges are pieces of hardware that join portions of pipelines, tubes, and other materials transporting equipment. They are frequently joined with fasteners such as bolts and are a good way to make secure connections, but they are not always fluid-tight without gaskets.
A spiral wound gasket that has been properly selected and placed can endure high temperatures and pressures, preventing leaks for the life of the product.
Components of Spiral Wound Gaskets
Three components make up a spiral coiled gasket:
The outermost ring
The outermost ring, made of carbon steel, is also known as the centering ring or guide ring. The outer ring is used to center a gasket when it's inserted into a bolted flange joint.
The inner ring
The inner ring is critical for the gasket because it prevents the windings inside the pipe from buckling. Parts of a gasket get sucked into the pipe when it buckles. Pieces of the gasket will then normally flow through the pipeline until they catch on anything. They frequently become entangled in rotating machinery, like a pump. The resulting mess is referred to as a "bird's nest." Inner rings assist in avoiding this issue.
Sealing component
As the name implies, the sealing element produces a seal that prevents leaks. Windings and filler material are both considered sealing elements. A flexible graphite filler material suitable for high temperatures is used in most spiral wound gaskets in oil and gas refineries. Gaskets with flexible graphite filling are also more tolerant of flange deformation and joint misalignment. Another frequent filler material is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE); however, PTFE is not suitable for high-temperature applications. Meanwhile, stainless steel and Monel are the most common winding materials in refineries.
How Spiral Wound Gaskets are Made
Spiral wound gaskets come in various shapes and sizes, but they all work on the same principle. In some models, numerous plies of metal and several plies of soft filler are wound around each other, providing both the strength of the metal and the flexibility and sealing properties of the filler.
Other types have only metal plies in a circular pattern coupled to a soft filler outer ring. Alternating metal and filler rings can be used in other patterns, but they are less frequent. Every spiral wound gasket must be meticulously matched to the contours of the pipes, hoses, or other equipment it will seal.
The composition of the gasket must also not interfere with the operation of the equipment. Most gaskets are made of stainless steel, which has a low reactivity to transferred substances.
The filler materials, which range from graphite to polytetrafluoroethylene, must be selected with greater care based on their flexibility, durability, chemical reactivity, and operating longevity.
Types of Spiral Wound Gaskets
The types of spiral wound gaskets include:
Style CG
In this style, a spiral wound gasket comprises a sealing element and an outer metal ring. By limiting overcompression, the outer ring ensures optimal sealing performance. The ring also aids in accurately placing the gasket on the mating flange faces.
Style CG gaskets are used on flanged connectors with raised and flat faces. They're commonly used in mild to moderate service environments.
Style CGI
In addition to the outer metal ring, this spiral wound gasket type has an inner metal ring. The CGI-style gasket's inner metal ring limits the sealing element's internal and external diameters.
It acts as an additional compression stop and prevents the sealing portion from buckling within. It also establishes a physical barrier between the sealing element and the process stream, protecting it from heat and media and preventing erosion.
Spiral wound gaskets of the Style CGI type indicate moderate to severe service conditions on raised and flat-faced flanged connectors.
Applications of Spiral Wound Gaskets
Flange connectors can be formed randomly or be stressed. A flexible gasketing solution that maintains seal integrity is required in these situations. Engineers developed spiral wound gaskets to address this difficulty; spiral wound gaskets combine the structural strength of metals with the sealing qualities of softer filler materials such as elastomers and graphite.
Spiral wound gaskets can be used in gas pipelines, tubing, and other networks of transmissive channels. They can also be found in pumps, valves, thermal exchangers, and various other components and control devices for gas and liquid transportation systems.
