Effect of radiation on dynamic mechanical properties of platinum-cured silicone elastomers at natural frequency
Zühra Çınar Esin1, Murat Şen1, İsmail Saltuk2, Nuri Akgerman2.
1Chemistry Department Polymer Chemistry Division, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey; 2Tavdi Company, Tavdi Company, Barrington, United States
One of the application areas for silicone elastomers is the production of vibration-damping materials noise and vibration are undesirable in many structures, such as rockets, spacecraft, automobiles, and white goods because they reduce the performance, stability, and lifetime of such structures High-damping silicone elastomers used in space technology and nuclear technology are exposed to radiation. Thus, investigation of the effects of ionizing radiation on the damping capacity of silicone elastomers is important. In our recent study, we investigated the impact of radiation on silicone elastomers’ damping and energy dissipation properties in static conditions at low frequencies [1]. This study aims to determine the effect of radiation on the damping capacity of phenyl-vinyl-methyl-polysiloxane (PVMQ) and vinyl-methyl-polysiloxane (VMQ) elastomers at the natural frequency by using a Dynamic Mechanical Yerzley Oscillograph (DMYO-5). VMQ and PVMQ elastomers were cured in the presence of a Pt-catalyst and then irradiated up to 80 kGy. To examine the effect of absorbed dose on the dynamic mechanical properties of silicone elastomers at a natural frequency such as tan delta, Yerzley resilience, Yerzley hysteresis, dynamic compressibility, absorbed energy and energy density were calculated using DMYO. As a result, these studies have proven that the dynamic mechanical properties of silicon elastomer, such as energy dissipation and damping at the natural frequency, can be changed in a controlled manner with ionizing radiation. It has also been observed that if VMQ or PVMQ is used in the preparation of silicon elastomer-based damping material, the effect of ionizing radiation on the dynamic mechanical properties is different.