Investigation of the mechanical properties of silicone and neoprene materials under heat and load

Rubber elastomer materials are used in many sectors such as textile, agriculture, food, construction, aviation, health and especially in the automotive sector. Elastomer materials are researched under the American Association of Testing and Materials. In the scope of the standards, each elastomer material was subjected to tests by indvidualy evaluated according to its heat value, tensile strength, etc. It is known that the most used elastomer materials in the industry are Silicone (VMQ) and Neoprene (CR) materials. In this study, it was investigated whether elastomer materials maintain their elasticity under harsh conditions (heat and load) with a new test method which was created by combining the ASTM D412 standard and the ASTM D395 standard. Elastomer gasket sample which is cut according to dimensions specified in ASTM D412 standard, was exposed to 25% compression force in accordance with the ASTM D395 standard. In order to observe the change in the elastic properties of the elastomer material, which was exposed to pressure, second sample which has same material with first sample, was prepared. While one gasket sample was pressurized, the other gasket sample was released and placed in the stove which was preconditioned to ASTM D412 at + 20°C. At the end of 24 hours, the amount of permanent deformation of these gasket samples were measured and also changes in their elastic properties were measured by checking the ultimate tensile stress. In addition, the maximum operating temperatures of the elastomer materials used in the experiment, were determined as close to the operating temperature in the literature. As a result of the tests, that is, the permanent deformation, was very low, and also it was observed that it increased at a very low rate compared to the value given in the literature by controlling the ultimate tensile forces. It was observed that these two selected elastomer materials maintain their elasticity and mechanical properties even under challenging conditions. By combining the standards, the amount of material used in the tests was reduced, and an advantage was obtained in test costs by reducing the working time.