Designing Cured-in-Place Silicone Rubber Engine Gaskets

Pre-molded silicone gaskets have proven to be extremely successful for sealing engine components such as rocker covers and oil pans, but methods are being sought to reduce the cost of using silicones to seal these and other components without compromising the quality achieved with pre-molded gaskets. One method, known as cured-in-place gasketing (CIPG), involves dispensing a liquid silicone rubber (LSR) directly onto a component and allowing the bead to cure to form a gasket. The purpose of this paper is to outline the process through which Dow Corning systems enginneers design CIPG sealing systems.