ELECTROPLATING PROCESS FOR COPPER COATING OF CORRUGATED METAL GASKETS TO INCREASE PERFORMANCE

Corrugated metal gaskets made of SUS304 usually have extremely hard layers that contact the flange. Therefore, they must be designed with an outer covering of a softer material. For three-layer gaskets, however, this process is challenging. This paper proposes the coating of corrugated metal gaskets with copper to obtain softer layers and reports on the degree of adhesion of SUS304 with copper. The coating process employs the electroplating method. The results show that there are no cracks or breaches between the metal and copper, and these materials completely enclose SUS304. Cracks also do not occur after the gaskets have been used to seal flange leakage. Furthermore, the copper layers are likely to be durable, showing no changes between before and after use on the flange. The performance of coated corrugated metal gasket was better than standard corrugated metal gaskets