Elastomeric gasket in gasket well of heat exchanger

1. A gasket well/gasket combination for use in a header/tank assembly for a heat exchanger, said combination comprising:

a gasket well having a generally rectangular-shaped outline in one of a header plate and tank of said header/tank assembly, said gasket well defined by a base wall and an outer side wall extending upward from the base wall, said outer side wall including a pair of upwardly opening slots, one of said slots located at a first corner of said gasket well, the other of said slots located at another corner of said gasket well diagonally opposite said first corner, each of said slots having a slot width (SW); and

an elastomeric gasket shaped to be received in said gasket well and compressed between said base wall and the other of said header plate and said tank to seal said tank to said header plate, said gasket including a seal bead and a pair of oppositely positioned locating features, each of said locating features including a tab extending outwardly from said seal bead to a terminal end of said tab, said tab having a transverse width that does not increase from the seal bead to the terminal end, said transverse width being larger than said slot width (SW) with the tab in an undeformed state, said gasket receivable in said gasket well in an installed state with each of said tabs pinched in a corresponding one of said slots across said transverse width to retain said gasket in said gasket well.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein each of said locating features further comprises a shoulder portion located between the seal bead and the tab to abut the outer side wall adjacent the corresponding slot to properly locate the gasket within said gasket well with the gasket in the installed state.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the transverse width of each of said tabs decreases from the shoulder portion to the terminal end.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein each of said tabs is tapered.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the gasket is sized relative to the gasket well so that the seal bead is placed in tension in said installed state.

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein:

said gasket further includes another pair of oppositely positioned locating features, each of said another pair of locating features having a tab extending outwardly from the seal bead to a terminal end of said tab, said tab having a transverse width that does not increase from the seal bead to the terminal end, said transverse width being larger than said slot width (SW) with the tab in an undeformed state; and

the outer side wall further includes another pair of upwardly opening slots to receive said tabs of said another pair of locating features, one of said another pair located at a third corner of said gasket well, the other of said another pair located at fourth corner of said gasket well diagonally opposite said third corner, each of said another pair having said slot width (SW).

7. A gasket well/gasket combination for use in a header/tank assembly for a heat exchanger, said combination comprising:

a gasket well having a generally rectangular-shaped outline in one of a header plate and tank of said header/tank assembly, said gasket well defined by a base wall and an outer side wall extending upward from the base wall, said outer side wall including a pair of upwardly opening slots spaced from each other along the gasket well, each of said slots having a slot width (SW); and

an elastomeric gasket shaped to be received in said gasket well and compressed between said base wall and the other of said header plate and said tank to seal said tank to said header plate, said gasket including a seal bead and a pair of locating features spaced from each other along the seal bead, each of said locating features including a tab extending outwardly from said seal bead to a terminal end of said tab, said tab having a transverse width that does not increase from the seal bead to the terminal end, said transverse width being larger than said slot width (SW) with the tab in an undeformed state, said gasket receivable in said gasket well in an installed state with each of said tabs pinched in a corresponding one of said slots across said transverse width to retain said gasket in said gasket well.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein each of said locating features further comprises a shoulder portion located between the seal bead and the tab to abut the outer side wall adjacent the corresponding slot to properly locate the gasket within said gasket well with the gasket in the installed state.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein the transverse width of each of said tabs decreases from the shoulder portion to the terminal end.

10. The combination of claim 8 wherein:

said gasket further includes another pair of locating features, each of said another pair of locating features having a shoulder portion and a tab extending outwardly from the shoulder portion to a terminal end of said tab, said tab having a transverse width that does not increase from the shoulder portion to the terminal end, said transverse width being larger than said slot width (SW) with the tab in an undeformed state; and

the outer side wall further includes another pair of upwardly opening slots to receive said tabs of said another pair of locating features, each of said another pair having said slot width (SW).

11. The combination of claim 7 wherein the gasket is sized relative to the gasket well so that the seal bead is placed in tension in said installed state.

12. A gasket well/gasket combination for use in a header/tank assembly for a heat exchanger, said combination comprising:

a gasket well having a generally rectangular-shaped outline in one of a header plate and tank of said header/tank assembly, said gasket well defined by a base wall and an outer side wall extending upward from the base wall, said outer side wall including four upwardly opening slots, each of said slots located at a corresponding corner of said gasket well, each of said slots having a slot width (SW); and

an elastomeric gasket shaped to be received in said gasket well and compressed between said base wall and the other of said header plate and said tank to seal said tank to said header plate, said gasket including four locating features, each of said locating features having a shoulder portion and a tab extending outwardly from the shoulder portion to a terminal end of said tab, said tab having a transverse width that does not increase from the shoulder portion to the terminal end, said transverse width being larger than said slot width (SW) with the tab in an undeformed state, said gasket receivable in said gasket well in an installed state with each of said tabs pinched in a corresponding one of said slots across said transverse width and said shoulder portions abutted against the outer side wall adjacent the corresponding slot to properly locate the gasket within said gasket well.

13. The combination of claim 12 wherein each of said tabs is tapered from the shoulder portion to the terminal end.

14. The combination of claim 12 wherein the gasket is sized relative to the gasket well so that the gasket is placed in tension in said installed state.

15. A gasket well/gasket combination for use with a mating part to form a sealed connection, said combination comprising:

a gasket well defined by a base wall and a side wall extending upward from the base wall, said side wall including an upwardly opening slot having a slot width (SW); and

an elastomeric gasket shaped to be received in said gasket well and compressed between said base wall and said mating part to form said sealed connection, said gasket including a locating feature having a shoulder portion and a tab extending outwardly from the shoulder portion to a terminal end of said tab, said tab having a transverse width that does not increase from the shoulder portion to the terminal end, said transverse width being larger than said slot width (SW) with the tab in an undeformed state, said gasket receivable in said gasket well with said tab pinched in said slot across the transverse width and said shoulder portion abutted against the side wall adjacent the slot to properly locate the gasket within said gasket well.

16. The combination of claim 15 wherein the transverse width of said tab decreases from the shoulder portion to the terminal end.

17. The combination of claim 15 wherein:

said gasket further comprises at least one more locating feature having a shoulder portion and a tab extending outwardly from the shoulder portion to a terminal end of said tab, said tab having a transverse width that does not increase from the shoulder portion to the terminal end, said transverse width being larger than said slot width (SW) with the tab in an undeformed state; and

said side wall further comprises at least one more upwardly opening slot having the slot width (SW) to receive the tab of said at least one more locating feature.

18. A gasket well/gasket combination for use with a mating part to form a sealed connection, said combination comprising:

a gasket well defined by a base wall and a side wall extending upward from the base wall, said side wall including an upwardly opening slot having a slot width (SW); and

an elastomeric gasket shaped to be received in said gasket well and compressed between said base wall and said mating part to form said sealed connection, said gasket including a seal bead and a locating feature having a tab extending outwardly from the seal bead to a terminal end of said tab, said tab having a transverse width that does not increase from the seal bead to the terminal end, said transverse width being larger than said slot width (SW) with the tab in an undeformed state, said gasket receivable in said gasket well with said tab pinched in said slot across the transverse width to retain said gasket in said gasket well.

19. The combination of claim 18 wherein the transverse width of said tab decreases from the seal bead to the terminal end.

20. The combination of claim 18 wherein:

said gasket further comprises at least one more locating feature having a tab extending outwardly from the seal bead to a terminal end of said tab, said tab having a transverse width that does not increase from the seal bead to the terminal end, said transverse width being larger than said slot width (SW) with the tab in an undeformed state; and

said side wall further comprises at least one more upwardly opening slot having the slot width (SW) to receive the tab of said at least one more locating feature.

21. The combination of claim 1 wherein the gasket is sized relative to the gasket well so that the seal bead is not placed in tension in the installed state.

22. The combination of claim 7 wherein the gasket is sized relative to the gasket well so that the seal bead is not placed in tension in the installed state.

23. The combination of claim 12 wherein the gasket is sized relative to the gasket well so that the seal bead is not placed in tension in the installed state.