Performance of wire mesh gaskets with air-inflatable core

Results are presented from tests of a prototype wire-mesh electromagnetic interference (EMI) gasket with an inflatable core. The gasket is constructed of several layers of wire mesh woven around an air-inflatable rubber core. The wire mesh is made of tin-coated copper-clad steel. It is noted that all testing was performed in an environmentally controlled area. The purpose was to examine the core material for compression set and not to test the wire-mesh material for galvanic corrosive performance. The inflatable rubber-core wire-mesh gasket showed shielding values approaching 70 dB at 150-kHz frequency, and it is expected that this could be improved with a larger core. The cost of the prototype gasket was relatively expensive; however, this cost was influenced largely by the number of layers of wire mesh (five on the prototype). It is believed that this number can be reduced to at most two by use of a larger rubber core. The high-pressure air bottles, regulator, and gauges could also be replaced with a simple, less expensive setup once a final gasket configuration is decided upon.<>