A deflectable gasket assembly for EMI shielding and environmental sealing is described. The gasket assembly is formed from an electrically-conductive mesh sheet positioned between adjacent conductive surfaces. A gasket is provided at the outer boundaries of the mesh sheet for environmental protection. The edge of the gasket has a branched sealing element extending above and below the gasket assembly for contacting the adjacent surfaces. The branched sealing element is deformable and can be used on external aircraft electronic components.

In an exhaust pipe spherical joint X, a spherical annular seal member 36 is fitted and fixed to a pipe end portion 42, the spherical annular seal member 36 is seated by abutting against a flange 43, a flared portion 47 formed of an FeCr base stainless steel and containing 17.00 to 19.00% by mass of Cr is secured to a downstream-side exhaust pipe 44, and an inner surface 48 of a concave spherical surface portion 45 is brought into slidable contact with a composite surface 40 in which a surface 38 constituted by a reinforcing member 5 and a surface 39 constituted by a solid lubricant are present in mixed form in an outer surface 37 of an outer layer 35 of the spherical annular seal member 36.

Flexible seal assemblies having a relatively low torsional rigidity and high longitudinal flexure to thereby allow the flexible seal assembly to flex between adjacent components and maintain a seal, even when movement between adjacent components occurs, is described. In some embodiments, the flexible seal assembly includes one or more layers of metal matrix material, the metal matrix material being comprised of a plurality of short segments of thin wire arranged randomly and sintered together to form a semi-rigid sheet. The one or more layers of metal matrix material can be sandwiched between an upper casing and a lower casing of a metal alloy casing. In various embodiments, additional features are provided for helping to make sure the seal assembly stays together, such as spot welds formed through the seal assembly, an S-shaped casing, and a recess/protrusion feature provided on adjacent layers of metal matrix material.

In order to improve a method for producing a functional element, in particular, for flat seals, wherein a functional material layer is provided with a sieve region in which through openings for the passage of a fluid lie exposed between threads of a woven or plaited fabric such that a best possible sealing round the sieve regions is enabled, it is proposed that the functional material layer is provided with a sealing region which is formed to be cross-sectionally impermeable, in which the through openings of the woven or plaited fabric are closed by the softening and compressing of a filling material filling the through openings.