RTV Silicone Rubber Degradation Induced by Temperature Cycling

Xishan Wen, Xiaoqing Yuan, Lei Lan, Lu Hao, Yu Wang, Shaodong Li, Hailiang Lu and Zhenghong Bao
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Xishan Wen: School of Electrical Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Xiaoqing Yuan: School of Electrical Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Lei Lan: School of Electrical Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Lu Hao: School of Electrical Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Yu Wang: School of Electrical Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Shaodong Li: School of Electrical Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Hailiang Lu: School of Electrical Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Zhenghong Bao: Electric Power Research Institute, State Grid Qinghai Electric Power Company, Xining 810008, China

Energies, 2017, vol. 10, issue 7, 1-12

Abstract: Room temperature vulcanized (RTV) silicone rubber is extensively used in power system due to its hydrophobicity and hydrophobicity transfer ability. Temperature has been proven to markedly affect the performance of silicone rubbers. This research investigated the degradation of RTV silicone rubber under temperature cycling treatment. Hydrophobicity and its transfer ability, hardness, functional groups, microscopic appearance, and thermal stability were analyzed using the static contact angle method, a Shore A durometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetry (TG), respectively. Some significant conclusions were drawn. After the temperature was cycled between ?25 °C and 70 °C, the hydrophobicity changed modestly, but its transfer ability changed remarkably, which may result from the competition between the formation of more channels for the transfer of low molecular weight (LMW) silicone fluid and the reduction of LMW silicone fluid in the bulk. A hardness analysis and FTIR analysis demonstrated that further cross-linking reactions occurred during the treatment. SEM images showed the changes in roughness of the RTV silicone rubber surfaces. TG analysis also demonstrated the degradation of RTV silicone rubber by presenting evidence that the content of organic materials decreased during the temperature cycling treatment.

Keywords: room-temperature vulcanized silicone rubber; temperature cycling; hydrophobicity; transfer of hydrophobicity; hardness; functional group; microscopic appearance; thermal stability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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