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Gasket & Sealing ComponentsFederal-Mogul explains how it combines OE insight with decades of working alongside garages to produce market leading sealing solutions. Sealing components have never been more important to the performance and reliability of automotive engines. The quest for reduced CO2 and improved fuel economy has led to increased cylinder pressures, higher internal temperatures and lighter engines, making the science of sealing one of the most complex areas of engine design.
For head gaskets, this presents two challenges. First, the operating environment is much more aggressive, demanding higher performance materials with high temperature resistance. Second, there is a conflicting requirement for greater sealing flexibility because today’s lightweight materials allow more distortion of the joint between the cylinder block and head. Federal-Mogul’s innovative Multi-Layer Steel (MLS) technology has been solving these issues for 20 years, helping to enable a new generation of engines. To date, over 43 million have been supplied to vehicle manufacturers under Federal-Mogul’s Payen® brand. The same parts are already available in the aftermarket, and as no special training or equipment is needed to fit them, repair work is quick and straightforward. Federal-Mogul also provides a detailed step-by-step guide to cylinder head gasket replacement and cylinder head bolt renewal and tightening. In some applications MLS gaskets use profiled beads around the top of each cylinder bore and a ‘topographic stopper’ adjacent to it. As the head is torqued down, the bead is compressed like a spring until the assembly bottoms out on the stopper. This results in a highly consistent level of crush and uniform distribution of clamping force to give effective sealing, even under the most extreme temperatures and loads. Payen MLS head gaskets are developed using sophisticated Finite Element Analysis (FEA) techniques. The number of steel layers used is optimised for different applications depending upon such factors as the method of construction and the materials used in the cylinder block and head. As well as containing high combustion pressures, it also helps to reduce bore distortion, allowing the piston rings to operate more efficiently. Cylinder Head Bolt Sidebar Many engines now use “Torque-to-yield” cylinder head bolts. Stretching the bolts to yield creates a more robust joint that resists extreme temperature cycles and heavy combustion loads without losing the desired clamping force. Unlike traditional head bolts, these take on a permanent set (yield) when correctly tightened, so many manufacturers specify these bolts as “one-time-use”. Renewal is therefore essential when replacing the cylinder head gasket. Federal-Mogul’s comprehensive head gasket replacement kits include all the necessary parts, such as bolts and other gaskets, to enable a professional repair to full OE standards. All of Federal-Mogul’s aftermarket sealing solutions meet the same demanding quality and performance standards required by the original equipment (OE) customers, providing the only sure way for technicians to guarantee work on rebuilt or repaired engines whilst ensuring they remain as economical, reliable and clean-running. |
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Head Gasket Innovation