Safety wire and cable for silicone HCR has been around for many years. Not only has it evolved overtime, but it has also brought innovations to the wire and cable industry due to its fast processing, ease of use and added safety benefits, which will be explored in this presentation. Today we will look into an in-depth study done on self-ceramifying silicone. Self-ceramifying silicone is designed to form a ceramic outer shell, covering and protecting vital conductors from harm, adding much needed valuable time in disastrous situations. In total, three different self-ceramifying silicones will be looked at as well as a control. All three samples and control were tested for basic mechanical, electrical, ageing and thermal resistance. In addition, all samples had their ceramic states analyzed after undergoing sinterization in a KSL-1100X furnace. After sintering, the ceramics were studied under a SEM for a surface analysis and also had their torsional strength tested via a 3-point test in order to determine if these silicones can be engineered to meet UL, IEC and DIN standards for both Fire Resistance and System Circuit Integrity.
SPEAKER: Nicolas Lugo, Technical Manager, HEXPOL Silicones