Choosing the Right Elastomer for Air Intake and Engine Oil System Gaskets

More stringent evaporative emission loss and vehicle life requirements imposed by CARB LEV II and EPA Tier II regulations are necessitating replacement of highly permeable Air Intake and Oil System gaskets with low permeation elastomers. Low permeation, however, is not the only requirement for these gaskets. This paper presents data on fuel permeation, compressive stress relaxation and the low temperature sealing properties of the various elastomer candidates for these seals in order to help the sealing system engineer optimize the overall performance of these gaskets.