Hits: 510 img
When selecting silicone rubber for a high-temperature application, customers often start with one question:
“What is the maximum temperature of this material?”
Maximum temperature is useful information, but it does not describe the complete application.
A silicone rubber component may experience changes in hardness, elasticity or mechanical properties after prolonged exposure to heat.
The more useful question is:
At what temperature must the material operate, and for how long?
Brief exposure to a high temperature and continuous operation at elevated temperature are not equivalent conditions.
Useful information includes:
A single maximum-temperature number therefore provides only part of the information needed for material selection.
During prolonged thermal aging, elastomer properties may gradually change.
Possible observations include:
The final result is not controlled by the base polymer alone.
Fillers, curing systems, additives, processing conditions and the finished-part design can all influence heat-aging performance.
Some components repeatedly experience:
Ambient → Hot → Cool → Hot again
This is different from continuous exposure at one constant temperature.
Automotive components, industrial equipment and some aerospace applications may experience these repeated temperature changes.
Thermal cycling should therefore be included when describing the operating conditions.
Temperature may not be the only challenge.
The component may also be exposed to:
If fluids or aggressive media are also involved, material selection should consider those conditions together with temperature.
PVMQ phenyl silicone rubber can be evaluated when an application requires specialty temperature performance, particularly when low-temperature behavior or a broad operating-temperature range is important.
KIMITER MY3120 Methyl Phenyl Vinyl Silicone Gum can be considered as a base polymer for specialty silicone-rubber formulations.
However, finished-part heat-aging performance should not be attributed to the base gum alone.
Fillers, curing systems, stabilizers, formulation design and processing all contribute to final performance.
Application testing is therefore recommended.
For a temperature-resistant silicone rubber recommendation, provide:
This provides a much stronger basis for evaluation than a maximum-temperature requirement alone.
No. Continuous temperature, exposure duration, mechanical requirements, media and formulation should also be considered.
Finished components are affected by formulation, processing, mechanical stress, part design and the actual operating environment.
No. Fillers, curing systems, additives, processing and aging conditions may also contribute.
No. PVMQ is particularly relevant to specialty temperature performance, including demanding low-temperature and broad-temperature-range applications.
It can support preliminary screening, but normal operating temperature, duration, cycling and contact media are also useful.
Temperature-resistant material selection is not simply about the highest temperature number. It is about maintaining the required properties for the required time under the actual operating conditions.
