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Silicone rubber is a popular material used in both indoor and outdoor industrial, automotive, and residential settings due to its excellent environmental resistance properties, wide operating temperature range, and long-life. Silicone rubber sheeting is a highly durable material that is commonly used for applications that need enhanced resistance properties, such as extreme temperature resistance and environmental resistance. Silicone padding and a silicone rubber seal are common industrial rubber parts found in such settings because they can provide a long-lasting and safe application when faced with these damaging factors. Heavy duty silicone sheets can offer better protection against extreme temperatures, chemicals, and environmental factors.
What is Silicone Rubber Used for?
Silicone rubber is used for applications in industrial, automotive, medical/food service, and residential environments. Silicone rubber sheeting has superior resistance properties against damaging environmental factors, extreme temperatures, and chemicals while also being a strong material with a high tensile strength. Silicone rubber sheeting is an inorganic polymer, meaning it retains a unique polymer backbone structure with unique silicon-to-oxygen bonds whereas organic polymers have a carbon-to-carbon bonded polymer backbone. This silicon-to-oxygen bonded polymer backbone gives the material superior resistance to UV rays, ozone, and extreme high and low temperatures (omnexus.specialchem.com). Silicone rubber sheeting is also highly resistant to caustic chemicals found in certain industries, such as industrial or automotive industries. Oftentimes, a silicone rubber seal or silicone padding, such as gaskets, are common products found in these settings due to its excellent resistance to harsh factors.
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Silicone rubber sheeting is a popular material used for seals and gaskets as silicone rubber will remain durable in temperatures ranging from -103 to +500 degrees Fahrenheit. Silicone rubber sheeting is the ideal material to create rubber parts for use in industrial and automotive settings due to its excellent high temperature resistance, chemical resistance, and tear strength. Both industrial and automotive environments can expose rubber parts to extreme temperatures and caustic chemicals. Heavy duty silicone parts will resist tearing and will provide efficient padding or sealants for industrial machinery or equipment. There are three main types of silicone rubber sheeting: premium grade, commercial grade, and FDA grade. All three types of silicone will remain reliable in high temperature applications and will remain intact without melting; however, commercial grade silicone is only able to resist heat up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit whereas premium and FDA grade silicone can withstand higher temperatures of up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. FDA grade silicone is made specifically for applications involved with materials intended for human consumption – i.e., the food industry or the medical field. An FDA approved silicone rubber sheeting must follow other specific guidelines found in the Code of Federal Regulations Title 12 (21 CFR 177.2600). Applications involving materials intended for human consumption often also involve high temperatures making silicone rubber sheeting the ideal for these applications as it can resist temperatures of up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Heavy duty silicone is a highly moisture resistant material that will prevent the leakage of wet precipitation in homes and vehicles. Additionally, due to its resistance to harmful environmental factors, silicone weatherstrips can provide long-lasting products that will last for years without losing functionality.
Why is Silicone Used?
Silicone is used due to its excellent resistance against damaging environmental factors, extreme temperatures, high tensile strength, excellent chemical resistance, and different grades in which it is available. A silicone rubber sheet is a resilient material that is often used in harsh settings and environments involving extreme temperatures and caustic chemicals. A silicone rubber sheeting is offered in commercial, premium, and FDA grades and are each extremely durable materials. As high temperature rubber sheet, premium and FDA grade retain a slightly wider operating temperature range of -103 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit while, on the other hand, commercial grade silicone can only withstand temperatures of up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Silicone rubber sheeting is also highly resistant against UV rays, ozone, oxygen, and moisture, making it a versatile material that may be used both indoors and outdoors. Natural rubbers are highly susceptible to damage caused by exposure to ozone and UV rays and will become faded in color and will be susceptible to ozone cracking. Silicone high temperature rubber sheet will be able to resist these damaging environmental factors as well as extreme temperatures. Silicone rubber sheeting is also used due to its excellent abrasion resistance and high tear strength. Heavy duty silicone is offered in different durometers, or hardness, ranging from 40A to 70A, with the sheet becoming harder and thicker as the durometer rating rises higher.
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(a) Is Silicone Thermally Stable?
Silicone is a thermally stable material with an operating temperature range of -103 to +500 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to its thermal stability, silicone rubber sheeting remains flexible in low temperatures and will not melt when exposed to high temperatures. This high temperature rubber sheet will be able to retain its high tensile strength in these extreme temperatures. For instance, “The tensile strength versus temperature for several elastomers (Ref. 2, p. 29) shows that only silicone rubber retains appreciable tensile strength at temperatures above 250*C, compared to the following rubbers: butyl, natural, Hypalon, SBR, nitrile, polyacrylate, or neoprene” (apps.dtic.mil). A thermally stable silicone rubber seal, gasket, or other industrial rubber part can prove to be a long-lasting and safer alternative to products made of other rubber variations, such as natural rubber. Other rubber variations, both natural rubbers and synthetic rubbers, will be susceptible to embrittlement. Embrittlement “is the partial or complete loss of a material’s ductility, thus making it brittle. An embrittled product fails by fracture without deforming” (corrosiopedia.com). When exposed to extreme heat, natural rubbers will melt or become deformed whereas silicone rubber sheeting is able to remain ductile and functional. Due to its wide operational temperature range, silicone rubber is a thermally stable material that can be used over a large range of extreme temperatures.
(b) What Happens if You Burn Silicone?
When you burn silicone, it will release some gases that are generally non-toxic; however, it is very hard to ignite. As a high temperature rubber sheet, silicone rubber sheeting has an excellent operating temperature range of -103 to +500 degrees Fahrenheit, making it extremely difficult to burn the material. For instance, “The ignition temperature of silicone is 842 degrees Fahrenheit…” (firefighterinsider.com). Due to its wide temperature resistance range, this high temperature rubber sheet remains a solid material without melting until it ignites. When silicone rubber sheeting ignites and burns, the byproduct that is created is silicon dioxide – which may have some minor health effects, such as eye irritation and respiratory problems – but it is considered safe to burn and generally nontoxic (firefighterinsider.com). This high level of heat resistance allows silicone to be used in food service industries as it will not leach toxic materials or chemicals into the application when heated.
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(c) How Long Will Silicone Last?
Silicone is a highly resilient rubber material that will last for years in abrasive indoor and outdoor settings. Silicone rubber sheeting has a silicon-to-oxygen bonded polymer backbone structure allowing it to have excellent resistance to UV rays, ozone, oxygen, and moisture. Additionally, this high temperature rubber sheet has a wide operating temperature range of -103 to +500 degrees Fahrenheit allowing it to withstand harsh weather conditions where extreme temperatures can damage other materials. These two durable factors of silicone rubber make it extremely resilient and not easily broken down. For instance, “Since silicone doesn’t break down easily, if it’s not recycled, it will stay for hundreds of years on our planet, before it starts to break down” (almostzerowaste.com). Silicone rubber can break down; however, it will take some type of outside source, such as environmental exposure or temperatures higher than +500 degrees Fahrenheit. The life of silicone rubber depends on the environment it is used and, obviously, with more exposure to these damaging environmental factors and extreme temperatures, the faster the material will age.
Silicone rubber sheeting is a synthetic rubber material that can resist damage brought on by environmental factors, chemicals, extreme high and low temperature, and tearing. This high temperature rubber sheet can remain intact and functional in a wide temperature range of -103 to +500 degrees Fahrenheit. Silicone rubber sheeting is also highly tear resistant and will offer excellent padding in environments involving impacts and abrasions. Furthermore, silicone is resistant to environmental factors, such as UV rays and ozone, that can cause other materials to deteriorate and fade in color. Overall, silicone rubber sheeting can provide versatile and durable application in both indoor and outdoor industrial, automotive, and residential settings.
What is Silicone Rubber Used for?
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