What Are the Properties of Silicone Rubber?

Would it surprise you to learn there are more properties involved than we have room to list in this article? Silicone rubber is ideal for many applications, some of which rely on one or more of those properties to be able to perform the role they are intended for.

We’ll go through a few of the main ones here, to give you a better idea of how far that versatility extends.

It is more resistant to extremes of temperature

Silicone rubber is ideal for use in situations where temperatures could drop way below zero or go high above it. It is not merely ideal for one of those situations either – it can perform to high standards in scenarios where extremes are experienced.

The best example is an aircraft that would experience much higher temperatures on the ground than it would when flying at 35,000 feet.

It is resistant to oil, water, and other liquids

This feature has many applications. Cars use both water and oil in different areas, yet it cannot allow them to mix. Silicone rubber is not porous, so it can be relied on to work well and give the benefits of a longer life as well.

It performs better than standard rubber under various weather conditions

Standard rubber does well in many roles, but where the weather is concerned, it is surpassed by silicone rubber (as it is in other scenarios as well). Silicone rubber would need to tolerate varied temperatures, wind, rain, snow, heatwaves… and everything else you can imagine the weather can produce.

Even though regular rubber would last for a while, silicone rubber lasts far longer and therefore gives an excellent performance under these demanding conditions.

It is an excellent insulator

This is true in several scenarios. For example, it offers excellent electrical insulation along with standard insulation to keep heat in and the cold out.

On a similar note, silicone can also be created to offer conductivity properties if carbon is added during the process. This is just one example of how silicone rubber can be formed to adhere to specifications for a certain project or use.

It holds colour well

Is this worth mentioning here? Absolutely, because there are situations where it is vital to be able to identify one of several silicone rubber items. One example would be if two or three types of tubing were used, and you needed to know which one was used for which purpose. Colour coding makes this far easier. It can also be clear, which means if one of multiple tubes became blocked, you could easily and immediately see which one needs clearing out or replacing.

There are many other properties to consider as well, but they all lead to the same conclusion. When you need to use rubber, for a seal, a washer, some tubing, or anything else, the silicone rubber alternative is often the best choice. Its properties allow for a far better performance all round.