Claims
- 1. A method of making a wire-mesh gasket structure comprising the steps of:
- selecting a heat-treatable wire in a soft temper condition;
- forming the heat-treatable wire into a tubular wire-mesh structure having a nominal dimension; and
- heat treating the tubular structure to a high temper condition whereby hardening occurs and forming stresses are relieved.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the forming step includes knitting the tubular structure as a helical band of interengaging serpentine loops of wire.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the knitting steps uses more than one wire simultaneously.
- 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the forming step includes braiding the tubular structure from a plurality of wires.
- 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the forming step is performed around a core.
- 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the core is an elastomeric material.
- 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the tubular shape is longitudinally creased.
- 8. The method of claim 1 wherein opposite sides of the tubular shape are pressed together and secured to one another so that a double-lobed shape results.
- 9. The method of claim 8 wherein each lobe has a core.
- 10. The method of claim 5 wherein the core is a wire-mesh gasket of smaller nominal diameter.
- 11. A method of making a wire-mesh gasket comprising the steps of
- selecting a wire in a pre-hardened condition;
- forming the pre-hardened wire into a tubular structure having a nominal dimension;
- heat treating the pre-hardened wire to a higher strength condition whereby forming stresses are relieved.
- 12. The method of claim 1 wherein the heat-treatment step is accomplished by heating the tubular structure to a temperature in the range of 550.degree. to 900.degree. F. for a time period in the rang of 0.10 to 24 hours.
- 13. The method of claim 1 wherein the heat-treatment step is accomplished by heating the tubular structure to a temperature in the range of 550.degree. to 700.degree. F. for a time period in the range of 0.25 to 24 hours.
- 14. The method of claim 1 wherein the heat-treatment step is accomplished by heating the tubular structure to a temperature in the range of 550.degree. to 650.degree. F. for a time period in the range of 2 to 3 hours.
- 15. The method of claim 1 including the step of forming the wire-mesh gasket structure into an installation configuration prior to the heat treatment step.
- 16. The method of claim 1 including the step of preforming the wire-mesh gasket structure to include at least one non-linear section prior to the heat-treatment step.
- 17. The method of claim 16 including the step of preforming a complete opening encircling wire-mesh gasket structure prior to the heat-treatment step.
Parent Case Info
This application is a divisional, of application Ser. No. 07/657,842, filed Feb. 20, 1991, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (14)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry |
Primec Corporation, Designers Guide 10A, "Primec Twinshield+Strips and Gaskets", (no date available). |
A. D. Merriman, A Dictionary of Metallurgy 1964, p. 9 and 352. |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
657842 |
Feb 1991 |
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