Ranking the DC Erosion Resistance of Silicone Rubber Composites with the Dry-Arc Resistance Test

This paper investigates the use of the dry-arc resistance test for ranking the DC erosion resistance of silicone rubber composites. The study utilizes the test as a controllable testing method for accelerating the erosion of silicone rubber surfaces by creating heat ablation with a stable scintillation. Alumina trihydrate is filled in silicone rubber at different levels and tested using the dry-arc resistance test and outcomes are correlated with the outcomes of the +DC inclined plane tracking-erosion test. Comparatively ranking the erosion depth and eroded volume outcomes for both tests preliminarily indicates a direct correlation in the ranking order observed for the composites under both tests. Outcomes of thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses suggest the ranking is correlated with the amount of depolymerized silicone rubber leaving the composite in the gaseous phase. Ranking the thermal analyses outcomes on the basis of the depolymerized silicone rubber content correlates with the DC erosion resistance outcomes under the dry-arc resistance test and the inclined plane test. The outcomes collectively signify the validity of using the dry-arc resistance test for ranking the DC erosion resistance of silicone rubber composites.