IMPROVED HYGIENIC FITTING WITH THERMAL EXPANSION AREA FOR GASKET

摘要

A sealing gasket for insertion into a circumferentially continuous groove of a flange joint for joining axially aligned tube ends (10, 12), the flange joint being of the type having axially opposed flanges (16, 18) at the tube ends to form a groove (30) there between when the joint is assembled, the groove being formed by axially opposed seal faces (22, 24) and radial end faces (16a, 18a) of the flanges, the groove comprising a groove first portion (32) that is open to an interior flow passage of the tubes and a groove second portion (34) that extends radially outward from the groove first portion, the gasket (38) having a gasket first portion (40) that seals the groove first portion and a gasket second portion (42) that extends from the gasket first portion and into the groove second portion (34); the gasket second portion being axially compressed when the joint is assembled and engaging with the radial end faces to produce a radial compression of the gasket; the gasket second portion having a volume that is less than volume of the groove second portion to form an expansion space in the groove second portion when the joint is assembled.