A study on mechanical and thermal properties of silicone rubber/EPDM damping materials

Silicone rubber (SR) and ethylene‐propylene‐diene monomer (EPDM) blends were prepared for damping application. The mechanical and thermal properties of the blends are studied. With the increasing content of EPDM, the tensile strength is decreased but elongation at break is increased. By blending with EPDM, tan δ (at 35 to 200°C) of SR is enhanced. However, thermogravimetric analysis results showed the decrease in thermal stability. Scanning electron microscopy study showed the good filler dispersion of the blends with some large silica particles. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Effect of incorporation of carbon fiber and silicon carbide powder into silicone rubber on the ablation and mechanical properties of the silicone rubber‐based ablation material

This study examined the effects of the incorporation of carbon fiber (CF) and silicon carbide powder (SCP) into a high temperature vulcanized (HTV) silicone rubber, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) containing vinyl groups on the ablation properties using an oxy‐acetylene torch test. The ablation test results showed that CF enhanced the hardness of the char formed on the composite surface during the oxy‐acetylene torch test and was an important factor determining the ablation properties. SCP was also beneficial in enhancing the surface char hardness of the HTV/CF composite. A new method was devised to evaluate the ablation properties more objectively by measuring the time elapsed for a rectangular‐shaped silicone rubber composite with specimens loaded with a constant weight to burn and fail off during the oxy‐acetylene torch test. The mechanical properties of the silicone rubber composites were also examined as a function of the additive content using a universal test machine (UTM). © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011