Sealing gasket with hard interior backbone and integral crush limiters

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is of the general nature of the prior patents identified above, but further incorporates compression limiters integral with the backbone element of the gasket that is encased in a fluid sealing material.
More particularly, the present invention is exemplified by a gasket assembly comprising a generally flat backbone of sheet metal material that has a main body generally rectangular with rounded corners to define particular sized openings for connection of constructions which are to be sealed in a fluid tight manner.
The main body has integral finger-like tabs that extend from predetermined stations in the wall of the main body into the opening defined thereby.
The distal end portion of each of the tabs has a circular hole punched, or otherwise formed therein, so that when each of the tabs is reversely folded to contact and lay atop the flattened wall portion of the main body, the hole therein aligns with a corresponding hole in the wall portion of the main body.
By this arrangement, a double thickness of metal is provided with an opening therethrough that has a depth equal to a double thickness of the backbone.
The surrounding material defining the fastener holes in the backbone forms a compression limiter construction.
After the core has been formed with the tabs folded, as described, a rubber compound or a thermoplastic elastomer or other suitable sealing material is molded or otherwise formed around the core so that the gasket has a substantially uniform thickness with built-in stops to limit gasket "crush", or compression loads, when the gasket is interposed between two components that are to be joined by threaded fasteners with effective fluid sealing therebetween.
More particularly, this effectively eliminates, or reduces, cold flow of the sealing material from the sealing area and prevents damage thereto, and ensures that the gasket is equally loaded throughout the extent thereof and has long service life.
The gasket assembly can be of any configuration to match the particular installation required