“Equivalent” Gaskets Do Not Exist

There is no such thing as equivalent gaskets between different manufacturers. In fact, changing manufacturers means updating the ASME PCC-1 Appendix O assembly bolt stress determination. 

Spending the day with Steve Bond at the Flexitallic lab proved it to me. The differences between the graphite from different manufacturers alone was eye-opening. 

I once heard the procurement director for a major petrochemical company proclaim that they order from gasket suppliers A, B, C, and D to ensure that none of them go out of business. They know for a fact that gasket supplier D has issues with quality, but they buy them anyway just in case something like Covid happens again. This line of thinking is not conducive to leak-free joints and makes the job of engineers like me much more difficult. 

These four gasket properties are not equivalent between different manufacturers:
Target Assembly Gasket Stress, SgT

Maximum Permissible Gasket Stress, Sgmax

Minimum Gasket Operating Stress, Sgmin-O

Minimum Gasket Seating Stress, Sgmin-S

ASME PCC-1 Appendix O Gasket Properties are Not Equivalent Between Manufacturers
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Fraction of Gasket Load Remaining after Relaxation, ϕg, for Sheet Gaskets