Silicon rubber mechanical properties

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12.03.2012 1-029

/ B Adrian Garay

Pre- report

1. Laboratory name: The Silicon rubber mechanical properties.

2. Goal of the laboratory: Now days, because of the increasing demand of the heavy industry, scientists are obligated to develop materials that are economically affordable and a high quality. One of these examples is the silicon rubber that is commonly used as a replacement of the natural rubber by certain industries for example: IN the aerospace sector, automotive, chemical and petro-chemical processing, construction, diesel engines, electrical, food grade,

pharmaceutics among others. The reason of this is for the particular properties of this material which we can mention its resistance to extremes temperatures, a good non-conductive insulation material, superior in resistance to compression (deformation), its odorlesstasteless, high resistance to chemicals, is water resistant, and fire resistant by the use of additives (fire retardant) In this laboratory our primary goals are: Learn and experience all the mechanical properties of the silicon rubber Learn the different techniques of analysis that we must perform sample of silicon rubber Learn the basic process of production of silicon rubber. Learn how to use all the industrial equipment for the processing of silicon rubber. once we test a

3. Theory:

General information

Silicone rubber is a material that has the texture, shape and properties similar to rubber.Materials that have similar properties to rubber are called elastomers. This elastomer is composed of silicone, a polymer that contains silicon, carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The siloxane bonds (SiOSi) that form the backbone of silicone (dimethyl

polysiloxane) are highly stable. At 433 kJ/mol, their binding energy is higher than that of carbon bonds (CC), at 355 kJ/mol. Thus, compared to common organic polymers, silicone rubbers have higher heat resistance and chemical stability, and provide better electrical insulation.

The most common method for preparing silicones involves reacting a chlorosilane with water. This produces a hydroxyl intermediate, which condenses to form a polymer-type structure. The basic reaction sequence is represented as: -------------

Preparation of silicone elastomers requires the formation of high molecular weight (generally greater than 500000g/mol). To produce these types of materials requires difunctional precursors, which form linear polymer structures. Mono and tri-functional

precursors form terminal structures and branched structures respectively. Silicone molecules are helical and intermolecular force is low, resulting in high elasticity, high compressibility, and excellent resistance to cold temperatures. Furthermore, the methyl groups

located on the outside the coil structure can rotate freely. This characteristic gives silicone its distinctive interfacial properties, including water repellency and good reliability. There are three main industrial classifications of silicone rubbers: High Temperature Vulcanising (HTV) Sometimes called heat curable, these are usually in a semi-solid gum form in the uncured state. They require rubber-type processing to produce finished items. Room Temperature Vulcanising (RTV) Usually come as a flowable liquid and are used for sealants, mould making, encapsulation and potting. These materials are not generally used as conventional rubbers. Liquid Silicone Rubbers (LSR) Sometimes called heat curable liquid materials, these materials are processed on specially designed injection molding and extrusion

production equipment.

Detailed properties

Heat and cold resitance: Silicone rubber withstands high and low temperatures far better than organic rubbers. Silicone rubber can be used indefinitely at 150C with almost no change in its properties. It withstands use even at 200C for 10,000 hours or more, and some products can withstand heat of 350C for short periods. Silicone rubber also has excellent resistance to cold temperatures. The embrittlement point of typical organic rubbers is between -20 and -30C, compared to -60 to -70C for silicone rubbers. Even at temperatures at which organic rubbers turn brittle, silicone rubber remains elastic.

Wheaterability: Silicone rubbers have exceptional weatherability. Ozone created by corona discharge rapidly deteriorates most organic rubbers, but has almost no effect on silicone rubber. In addition, silicone rubber can be exposed to wind, rain and UV rays for long periods with virtually no change in its physical properties. Moisture and steam resistance: Silicone rubber can be immersed in water (cold water, warm water, boiling water) for long periods with water absorption of about 1%, and with virtually no effect on mechanical strength or electrical properties. Typically, under ordinary pressure, contact with steam causes almost no deterioration of silicone rubbers. With pressurized steam, however, the effects increase as steam pressure increases. Resistance to oil: solvent and other chemicals: Silicone rubber has outstanding resistance to oil at high temperatures. Silicone rubber also has excellent resistance to solvents and other chemicals. It is essentially unaffected by polar organic compounds (aniline, alcohol, etc.) or dilute acids or bases, with the increase in volume due to swelling in the range of only 10%15%. Silicone rubber does swell in non-polar organic compounds like benzene, toluene and gasoline Silicone rubber is, however, adversely

affected by strong acids and bases, so it should not be used where it will come in contact with such chemicals. Electrical insulation: Silicone rubber has high insulation resistance of 1Tm 100Tm, and its insulating properties are stable over a wide range of temperatures and across a wide frequency spectrum. There is almost no decline in performance even when immersed in water, making silicone rubber an ideal insulating material. Flame retardancy: If silicone rubber is brought close to a flame, it will not ignite easily; but once ignited it will continue burning. It is possible to impart flame retardancy and/or self-extinguishing properties by adding a small amount of flame retardant Compresion Set: When using rubber materials for gaskets that will be under compression in heated conditions, the ability of these materials to recover from compression deformation is a crucial consideration. Flex fatigue resistance: Generally speaking, the strength of silicone rubber against dynamic stress is no greater than that of organic rubbers Tear strength and tensile strength: The tear strength of silicone rubber is generally around 9.8 kN/m. There are high-strength types available with tear strength between 29.4 kN/m and 49.0 kN/m, achieved through polymer modification and/or judicious selection of fillers

and cross linkers. These products are ideal for molding large items, reverse tapered forms, and complexly shaped items when high tear strength is required.

Curation or vulcanization of natural rubber:

Chemical process by which the physical properties of natural or synthetic rubber are improved; finished rubber has higher tensile strength and resistance to swelling and abrasion, and is elastic over a greater range of temperatures. In its simplest form, vulcanization is brought about by heating rubber with sulfur but other technologies are known,

including peroxide-based systems. Natural rubber is too soft to be a useful material for most applications, more over when natural rubbers is stretched it usually pull apart. This process called vulcanization result in cross-linking of the hydrocarbons chains by disulfide bonds. When the polymer is stretched, the chains no longer can slide past each other and tearing does not occur. Vulcanized rubber is an elastomer, a polymer that stretches when stressed but then returns to its original shape when the stress is alleviated. The main polymers subjected to vulcanization are polyisoprene (natural rubber) and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), which are used for most passenger tires. The "cure package" is adjusted specifically for the substrate and the application. The reactive sites"cure sites"are allylic hydrogen

atoms. During vulcanization, some of these C-H bonds are replaced by chains of sulfur atoms that link with a cure site of another polymer chain. Cross-linking:

Crosslinking simply are bonds that link one polymer to another. Cross-links can be formed by chemical reactions that are initiated by heat, pressure, change in pH, or radiation. For example, mixing of an un-polymerized or partially polymerized resin with specific chemicals called crosslinking reagents results in a chemical reaction that forms crosslinks. The chemical process of vulcanization is a type of cross-linking and it changes the

property of rubber to the hard, durable material we associate with car and bike tires. This process is often called sulfur curing (explained above)

Silica is mostly used as an essential element in silicon rubber. What is the reason?

Sillica or Silicon Dioxide is primary used as filler. Fillers are added to improve the otherwise poor tensile strength of silicones. The silica enables it to strongly bond with the polymer and increase the strength of the silicone elastomer. In HTVs and LSRs, fumed silica (microscopic droplets of amorphous silica fused into branched particles) strengthens the cured rubber, increasing hardness, modulus, tensile strength and tear strength.

Modifying and protection additives:

A silicone rubber compound may have one or more additives, or extending fillers, added to impart specific performance attributes. Silicones have better fire resistant properties compared to natural rubbers. This property can be improved by the addition flame retardant additives such as platinum compounds, carbon black, aluminum trihydrate, zinc or ceric compounds Ferric oxide may also be added to improve heat stability. Titanium dioxide and other organometallic compounds as pigments.

Bibliography

McGrawhill, Janice Smith, Organic Chemistry, Synthetic polymers. Shin -Etsu Chemicals, CO. , Informative PDF, Characteristic properties of Silicone Rubber Compounds Silicon rubber article - http://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=920 Shi Gui ZHAO, Chuan Jian ZHOU, Jian Ming ZHANG, Sheng Yu FENG School of Material Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan Mechanical Properties of Silicone Rubber - http://www.imm.ac.cn/journal/ccl/1610/161031-1383-04-0892-p3.pdf

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