Silicone foam is a
synthetic rubber
A synthetic rubber is an artificial elastomer. They are polymers synthesized from petroleum byproducts. About of rubber is produced annually in the United States, and of that amount two thirds are synthetic. Synthetic rubber, just like natural ru ...
product used in
gasket
Some seals and gaskets
A gasket is a mechanical seal which fills the space between two or more mating surfaces, generally to prevent leakage from or into the joined objects while under compression. It is a deformable material that is used to c ...
ing, sheets and
firestop
A firestop or fire-stopping is a form of passive fire protection that is used to seal around openings and between joints in a fire-resistance-rated wall or floor assembly. Firestops are designed to maintain the fire-resistance rating of a wall ...
s. It is available in solid, cured form as well as in individual liquid components for field installations.
Uses
*
Gasket
Some seals and gaskets
A gasket is a mechanical seal which fills the space between two or more mating surfaces, generally to prevent leakage from or into the joined objects while under compression. It is a deformable material that is used to c ...
s
*Sheets
*High temperature tubes for
autoclave
An autoclave is a machine used to carry out industrial and scientific processes requiring elevated temperature and pressure in relation to ambient pressure and/or temperature. Autoclaves are used before surgical procedures to perform steriliza ...
s
*
Firestop
A firestop or fire-stopping is a form of passive fire protection that is used to seal around openings and between joints in a fire-resistance-rated wall or floor assembly. Firestops are designed to maintain the fire-resistance rating of a wall ...
s
*
Surfactant
Surfactants are chemical compounds that decrease the surface tension or interfacial tension between two liquids, a liquid and a gas, or a liquid and a solid. The word ''surfactant'' is a Blend word, blend of "surface-active agent",
coined in ...
s
Vulcanisation
When the constituent components of silicone foam are mixed together, they evolve
hydrogen
Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and abundance of the chemical elements, most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all baryon, normal matter ...
gas, which causes bubbles to form within the rubber, as it changes from liquid to solid. This results in an outward pressure. Temperature and humidity can influence the rate of expansion.
See also
*
Firestop
A firestop or fire-stopping is a form of passive fire protection that is used to seal around openings and between joints in a fire-resistance-rated wall or floor assembly. Firestops are designed to maintain the fire-resistance rating of a wall ...
*
Vulcanisation
Vulcanization (British English: vulcanisation) is a range of processes for hardening rubbers. The term originally referred exclusively to the treatment of natural rubber with sulfur, which remains the most common practice. It has also grown to ...
*
Rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds.
Types of polyisoprene ...
*
Silicone resin
Silicone resins are a type of silicone material which is formed by branched, cage-like oligosiloxanes with the general formula of where R is a non-reactive substituent, usually methyl (Me = ) or phenyl (Ph = ), and X is a functional group: hydr ...
References
External links
YouTube video showing silicone foam being mixed and expandedStockwell Elastomerics silicone foam used in gasketing
Silicone Engineering Silicone Foam used in Rail and Mass Transit SystemsSilicone sponge sheetsSilicone foam surfactant, the Marangioni effect on cell stabilisationSilicone foam without use of toxic blowing agents
Foams
Rubber
Passive fire protection
Firestops
{{chem-process-stub