Gaskets are used to prevent fluid or gas leaks by providing a barrier between two mating surfaces. The gasket must be able to maintain a seal under pressure and temperature changes.

Gasket tape is a self-adhesive gasketing material for use in glass-lined equipment flanges. They can be assembled on all types of easily accessible flanges regardless of dimension, shape or position. They are engineered to meet the exacting requirements of high temperature, low-pressure service. They are used to seal vertical and horizontal joints for a watertight and easy to install system. Their use provides the ability to prefabricate the components prior to installation, saving time required on-site.

Installation
The steps of installation are:

• Proper preparation of the tank and header surfaces before installing a new gasket is essential
• Remove backing and apply gasket tape to a clean, flat, dry header
• Cut out the bolt holes
• Do not apply any separate adhesive
• Puzzle cut the corners or overlap the short ends
• Do not over-torque header bolts
• Gasket tapes relax, so after few minutes, re-torque all the bolts

Characteristics
They offer excellent compressibility, resistance to crushing and memory retention. They don’t extrude and are not displaced from between components. This prevents waste, loss of material during compression and eliminating unsightly overspill. A positive contact with substrates is maintained despite changes in gap size caused by thermal expansion and contraction, vibration, changes in moisture content, etc.

Materials
Common materials used for construction of gasket tapes are beryllium copper, butyl, copper, cork, fluoroelastomer, foam, graphite, neoprene, nitrile, non-asbestos, paper, polyurethane or urethane, silicone rubber, and steel. The materials used for gasketing must have maximum operating pressure, operating temperature, and EMI or RFI shielding.

EMI stands for electromagnetic interference and RFI for radio frequency interference.

Applications
Applications include refrigeration ducting, venting, firewall penetrations, heating installations, damp and dust proofing, roof seams, log sealing, prefabricated building systems, and metal buildings. Some gasket tapes are also used to shield against electromagnetic and radio frequency interference. They are widely used in chemical, food, and medical industry. Also used for static sealing of flanges, containers and covers and in pneumatic hydraulic systems.