What durometer is silicone?
Silicone Hardness / Durometer Raw silicone comes in base hardness of 30, 50, 70 and 80 Shore A. The standard durometer used for a molded rubber keypad is 60 Shore.
Is silicone rubber durable?
Silicone rubber is very durable and overall, has good mechanical properties. Because of its durability, it is extremely reliable and can be trusted to keep up performance for a long time. These qualities are what make silicone an excellent sealing material for a wide range of applications and industries.
How do you increase the tensile strength of silicone rubber?
The strength can be mostly improved by adding Aerosil or other silica aerogel. Non-treated aerogel particles give higher strength but it is harder to mix the particles homogeneously due to agglomeration. Increase of crosslink density may improve the strength value but decreases the elongation to break.
Are there different grades of silicone?
There are many special grades and forms of silicone rubber, including: steam resistant, metal detectable, high tear strength, extreme high temperature, extreme low temperature, electrically conductive, chemical/oil/acid/gas resistant, low smoke emitting, and flame-retardant.
What are the negatives of silicone?
One of the major disadvantages of silicone rubber is its poor tear strength. This can be improved with the addition of other ingredients, but it doesn’t naturally offer strength or abrasion resistance, so the application needs to be carefully assessed for the suitability of silicone as a solution.
How hard can silicone be?
A reading of 20 is very soft, 80 is very hard. The more undercuts you must mold, the softer the silicone you must use, to yank it out of difficult places. Being softer, it elongates and deforms easier. When softer silicone is used, it is less able to hold itself in place, and more likely to sag as gravity pulls.