Patent ID: 6565098
Filing Date: 2003-05-20
Classification: F16J

Abstract:
Process for the manufacture of a cylinder head gasket with a gasket plate comprising several sheet metal layers and having at least one combustion chamber through-opening, a first sheet metal layer being provided with a ring-shaped sealing element surrounding the combustion chamber through-opening, projecting in the direction towards an adjacent, second sheet metal layer and resting against the second sheet metal layer when the cylinder head gasket is installed, said sealing element being capable of undergoing elastic deformation perpendicularly to the gasket plate, and a metallic spacer ring covered by said first and second sheet metal layers being secured by an annular weld seam to one of said first and second sheet metal layers radially adjacent to the sealing element for delimitation of the deformation of the sealing element, said spacer ring facing the other one of said first and second sheet metal layers and surrounding the combustion chamber through-opening, wherein the process includes securing the spacer ring in a gas-tight manner by electric pulse welding to said one of said first and second sheet metal layers, said electric pulse welding including the steps of clamping in contact the spacer ring and said one of said first and second sheet metal layers between a first electrode resting against the spacer ring and a second electrode resting against said one of said first and second sheet metal layers and passing a current pulse sufficient for the welding through an annular, sharp edge-like or bead-like contact projection of one of said first and second electrodes, through said spacer ring and said one of said first and second sheet metal layers and through the other of said first and second electrodes to form a continuous, annular, gas-tight weld seam between said spacer ring and said one of said first and second sheet metal layers.