Kammprofile gaskets are our best friend in the heat exchanger world due to their durability. Constructed from a solid metal core, conventional gasket materials can be used. These materials are carbon steel, 304 stainless steel, 316 stainless steel, and other high temperature materials such as Hastelloy and Inconel.

The serrations that look like grooves are machined into the gasket material, and this is where we get the term grooved metal gasket. These serrations are used to place the facing material on the sealing surface. The facing material is usually a soft facing material such as a graphite facing. Other non-asbestos fillers include mica, PTFE and other sealing materials.

While they don't require guide rings, we'd like to see them on the shims as it helps the assembler center the shims during assembly. This can accommodate this gasket, but we only see graphite faces in petrochemical applications. The guide ring will come loose, which is a good thing, allowing the solid metal core of the gasket to grow during thermal expansion.