Comparison of the erosion resistance of silicone rubber and EPDM composites filled with micro silica and ATH

The paper presents the results of inclined plane tests on ATH and silica composites of Silicone rubber (SiR) and EPDM to evaluate the effect of filler type and loading on the tracking and erosion resistance of the composites formed. The effect of test voltage on the outcome of the incline plane was also examined. A laser ablation test was also used to evaluate the various composites. A critical test voltage of 4.5 kV was shown to cause failures in samples which emphasizes the importance of testing composites at voltages above this critical level. In comparing the two test methods, both the inclined plane and laser ablation test methods showed the same order for EPDM composites of ATH and silica while the laser method showed silica SiR composites to perform somewhat better than in the inclined plane test which showed similar results.