PROPERTIES OF SEVEN OF THE MOST VERSATILE MATERIALS
(Brief Summaries)
Silicone (Polysiloxane)
This features excellent resistance to weather conditions – ozone, sunlight, and oxidation, and the color remains stable. It maintains excellent flexibility at low temperatures yet has outstanding resistance to high heat, has low compression set and is a very good electrical insulator.
It is not recommended for applications require abrasion resistance, high tensile strength, or tear and cut growth resistance. It is also not recommended for resistance to oil, gasoline, solvents, alkalis and acids.
EPDM (Ethylene-Propylene-Diene-Monomer)
This has excellent ozone, weathering and aging resistance as well as excellent water and steam resistance. It maintains its flexibility at low temperatures, is very color stable, and has excellent resistance to alkalis, acids, and oxygenated solvents. This material can be used in a wide range of applications and is excellent for use outdoors.
It is not recommended for resistance to oil, gasoline, or hydrocarbon solvents.
Neoprene (Polycholoroprene)
This material has moderate resistance to oils and gasoline. It has good flame resistance and weathers well. It features very good resistance to abrasion, flex cracking, alkalis and acids. This is generally considered an excellent all-purpose material with few limitations and a solid balance of properties.
Neoprene has poor resistance to aromatic and oxygenated solvents and limited flexibility at low temperatures.
Nitrile (Acrylonitrile-butadiene)
This material has very good oil, gasoline and abrasion resistance. As the nitrile content increases in the mixture the resistance to alkalis and acids also increases. It is superior to neoprene in oil and solvent resistance.
It has poor resistance to oxygenated solvents. Nitrile must be specially compounded to resist ozone, sunlight and aging. It is not recommended for applications where it is exposed to severe weathering.
Fluoroelastomers
These materials provide exceptional performance and reliability in harsh and corrosive environments. They are ideal for many demanding aerospace, automotive and industrial applications due to their outstanding resistance to heat aging and a broad range of chemicals, including fuels and solvents. They are more flame retardant than hydrocarbon rubbers and offer excellent resistance to weather, ozone, oxygen and sun light.
Fluoroelastomers have poor resistance to ketones, esters, ethers, amines and aqueous bases like ammonia and sodium hydroxide.
TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomers)
These materials are rubber like materials with similar properties and performance, but are processed like thermoplastics. They have performance properties comparable to conventional therosets like rubber, SBR, EPDM or neoprene. These materials have the additional features in that they are flame resistant, possess excellent flex fatigue and ozone resistance, and perform well in alcohol.
These are limited by poor resistance to oil, gasoline, and aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon solvents.
SBR (Styrene-Butadiene-Rubber)
This material has excellent impact strength, good resilience and abrasion resistance. It maintains its flexibility at lower temperatures. It has been put to use in conveyor belt covers, mats, tire treads, and shoe soles among other items needing those properties.
It has poor resistance to oil, gasoline and hydrocarbon solvents. It also is not suitable to applications that have exposure to weathering elements such as UV and ozone.
