Declining Performance of Silicone-Based Magnetorheological Elastomers after Accelerated Weathering.

Wibowo Wibowo,Dody Ariawan,Seung-Bok Choi,Saiful Amri Mazlan,Fitrian Imaduddin,Ubaidillah Ubaidillah,Bhre Wangsa Lenggana

doi:10.3390/ma14216389

Abstract

Magnetorheological elastomers (MRE)-based products are usually located in an area directly exposed to sunlight and rain. However, there is no specific research on the behavior of MRE after accelerated weathering. Therefore, in this study, the changes to the chemical and rheological properties of both isotropic and anisotropic MRE after accelerated weathering were examined. Treated and untreated specimens were compared. MRE specimens with 40% by weight CIP were prepared with no current excitation and another sample was prepared with 1.5 T of magnetic flux density. Each specimen was treated in an accelerated weathering machine, Q-Sun Xe-1 Xenon Test Chamber, under a UV light exposure cycle and water spray. A material characterization was carried out using FTIR and a rheometer to determine the changes to the chemical and rheological properties. The morphological analysis results showed that after the weather treatment, the surface was rough and more cavities occurred. The rheometer test results showed a significant decrease in the storage modulus of each treated MRE specimen, unlike the untreated MRE specimens. The decrease in the storage modulus value with currents of 0, 1, 2, and 3 Amperes was 66.67%, 78.9%, 85.2%, and 80.5%, respectively. Meanwhile, FTIR testing showed a change in the wave peak between the untreated and treated MRE specimens. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) also showed a decrease in MRE weight for each specimen. However, for both treated and untreated MRE specimens, the decrease in TGA was not significantly different. In all the tests carried out on the MRE samples, weather acceleration treatment caused significant changes. This is an important consideration for developers who choose silicone as the MRE matrix.

Highlights

IntroductionThe development of rubber products has progressed rapidly
Micrograph studies of the surfaces of the treated and untreated Magnetorheological elastomers (MRE) samples were essential to analyze the degree of degradation
SEM testing in this study aimed to see a clearer description of the elastomeric structure with a larger magnification scale, so that a comparison could be completed between the MRE samples with and without weather treatment

Summary

Introduction

The development of rubber products has progressed rapidly One of these developments is engineered rubber products, widely applied in various engineering fields. These products have excellent physical properties and durability, as well as the ability to deform. Rubber composites are one type of engineered rubber product widely applied in various fields such as marine [1], structural, automotive [2,3], and aerospace [4]. Engineered rubber products, such as composites, are highly susceptible to the conditions of ambient temperature, humidity, heat, and chemicals they encounter. The weather conditions in which the applications of rubber composite products occur can negatively affect their physical properties [13]. The change in interface adhesion in reinforcement and rubber causes hardening of the rubber composite, resulting in brittleness and a reduced lifetime

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