Compression Creep Behavior of Compressible Nonmetallic Gaskets

The loss in bolt tightness on a gasketed joint assembly has been defined in terms of creep, stress relaxation, and the creep relaxation behavior of nonmetallic gaskets. Application conditions which determine the applicability of these phenomena to any specific joint design are discussed. Creep data for compressible gaskets reveal a critical compressive stress above and below which the data can be represented by an empirical equation. Implications of such data are interpreted in the light of gasket material development and flanged joint engineering.