Fluorosilicone and silicone o-ring aging study.

Bernstein, Robert ; Gillen, Kenneth T.

关键词: AGING;    COMPRESSION;    GASKETS;    SILICONES;    ORGANIC FLUORINE COMPOUNDS;    DECOMPOSITION Silicon compounds;    O ring seals.;    Silicon.;    Aging tests-Materials.;   

DOI  :  10.2172/922071
RP-ID  :  SAND2007-6781
PID  :  OSTI ID: 922071
Others  :  TRN: US200806%%41

学科分类：材料科学（综合）

美国|英语

来源: SciTech Connect

【 摘 要 】

Fluorosilicone o-ring aging studies were performed. These studies examined the compressive force loss of fluorosilicone o-rings at accelerated (elevated) temperatures and were then used to make predictions about force loss at room temperature. The results were non-Arrhenius with evidence for a lowering in Arrhenius activation energies as the aging temperature was reduced. The compression set of these fluorosilicone o-rings was found to have a reasonably linear correlation with the force loss. The aging predictions based on using the observed curvature of the Arrhenius aging plots were validated by field aged o-rings that yielded degradation values reasonably close to the predictions. Compression set studies of silicone o-rings from a previous study resulted in good correlation to the force loss predictions for the fluorosilicone o-rings from this study. This resulted in a preliminary conclusion that an approximately linear correlation exists between compression set and force decay values for typical fluorosilicone and silicone materials, and that the two materials age at similar rates at low temperatures. Interestingly, because of the observed curvature of the Arrhenius plots available from longer-term, lower temperature accelerated exposures, both materials had faster force decay curves (and correspondingly faster buildup of compression set) at room temperature than anticipated from typical high-temperature exposures. A brief study on heavily filled conducting silicone o-rings resulted in data that deviated from the linear relationship, implying that a degree of caution must be exercised about any general statement relating force decay and compression set.