Patent ID: 8720906

Claim:
A gasket assembly for an internal combustion engine comprising: a carrier frame having a plurality of intake openings, said carrier frame being generally planar with an upper generally planar surface and a lower generally planar surface; elastomeric sealing material bonded on said carrier frame in surrounding relation to each of said openings, said elastomeric sealing material positioned on both of said upper and lower generally planar surfaces and having portions thereof projecting outwardly transverse to said upper and lower generally planar surfaces; said elastomeric sealing material being elastically deformable when the gasket assembly is compressed to provide seals about said openings; and a compression limiting device having opposed compression limiting surfaces and being embedded in said elastomeric sealing material adjacent to one of said openings; said compression limiting device being a solid metal block-like structure and having an upper surface, a lower surface, and side surfaces; said elastomeric material embedding said compression limiting device at least on all of said side surfaces; said gasket assembly having a first thickness at said outwardly projecting portions of said sealing material, a second thickness at said generally planar carrier frame, and a third thickness between opposing surfaces of said compression limiting device; said third thickness being greater than said second thickness, and said first thickness being greater than both said second and third thicknesses; wherein over-compression of said elastomeric sealing material is precluded.