Flange Gaskets Division

The main challenge for the Flange Gaskets Division has been the move away from the use of asbestos fibres in gasket materials. Historically, compressed asbestos fibre sheet material has been the material of choice for "soft" gasket materials. It was regarded as easy to use and very tolerant of abuse, for which it was recognised as very "forgiving". Consequently, the material was used to seal almost all common applications, and usually gave reasonable performance. A broad experience of the material was established over many years amongst manufacturers and users alike.

More recently, with the tendency away from the use of asbestos fibres, a new generation of asbestos-free substitutes has been developed by the sealing industry. This has created an enormous challenge, because only limited experience is available for the new materials in service. Many of the new materials provide improved levels of sealing performance, although their applicability is more limited than the asbestos-based alternatives. Equally, handling of these new materials requires more care in general. Overall, these new materials can outperform their asbestos-based alternatives, but are far less forgiving. Users must exercise more care in selecting the right material for the job and assembling the seal.

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