The silicone tube is a hose that is often used by everyone, but you will inevitably encounter the aging phenomenon of the silicone tube during use. So what are the influencing factors of silicone tube aging? As a professional silicone tube manufacturer, we will explore the factors that affect the aging of silicone tubes.
First let us understand the basic characteristics of silicone tubes. The silicone tube itself has good high temperature resistance, can work in an environment with a high temperature of 180 degrees Celsius and a low temperature of minus 40 degrees Celsius, has good physiological stability, can have excellent resilience under harsh conditions, and is resistant to ozone and heat. Features such as ultraviolet and radiation resistance.
Common silicone tubes include: medical silicone tubes, food-grade silicone tubes, industrial silicone tubes, silicone shaped tubes, and silicone tube accessories, so under what specific environment can silicone tubes be aged.
Effect of ozone: The chemical active oxygen is high and has great damaging power, which will cause the molecular chain to crack, but as long as the silicone tube is mainly unsaturated rubber), it will produce a crack with a straight stress direction, commonly known as “ozone cracking” “When acting on a deformed silicone tube, only an oxide film is formed on the surface without cracking.
Effect of moisture: The silicone tube is easily damaged when it encounters a relatively humid environment or may be operated in water, because the water-soluble substances in the silicone tube and the ingredients such as water and water are extracted and dissolved by water, especially in water. The alternating effect of immersion and atmospheric exposure will accelerate the damage of the silicone tube, but in some cases, the moisture will not damage the silicone tube, or even delay the aging.
Oxidation effect: Oxygen produces free radical chain-locking reaction with rubber molecules in the rubber. The molecular chain cracks or excessively cross-links, causing changes in rubber function. Oxidation is one of the important causes of rubber aging.
Of course, silicone tubes of different materials respond to these specific scenarios. The difference in the speed of aging is huge. Don’t choose silicone tubes with cheap materials because they are greedy for cheap. Simply, they will have some adverse effects during operation.