An experimental design approach in formulating a ceramifiable EVA/PDMS composite coating for electric cable insulation

Abstract

The study used D-optimal mixture design of experiments to formulate a ceramifiable EVA/PDMS composite with optimized ceramified flexural strength properties after being exposed to elevated temperatures. The ideal amounts of inorganic fillers and their interaction within the polymer composite were studied. It was found that good polymer and ceramic properties were achieved when using 59% EVA/PDMS polymer blend with inorganic fillers of 11% calcium carbonate, 10% aluminium hydroxide, 11% muscovite mica, and 9% calcined kaolinite, respectively. TGA, SEM, and PXRD were employed to study the behavioral changes of the EVA/PDMS composite during and postceramification process. Although all inorganic fillers used were important, muscovite mica played a special role not only in the ceramification process, but also in keeping the ceramic product physically stable. Microstructural analysis of the cross-sectional area of the ceramic product showed that it was multilayered with an inhomogeneous distribution of the chemical composition across its layers. POLYM. COMPOS., 00:000-000, 2015.

Impact of Basalt Filler on Thermal and Mechanical Properties, as Well as Fire Hazard, of Silicone Rubber Composites, Including Ceramizable Composites

“…During regular usage, they are characterized by properties similar to conventional elastomer composites, whereas in the case of fire they are transformed into an insulating ceramic layer of a specific porosity and mechanical durability, which ensures the integrity of the electrical circuits for a minimum period of 120 min from the point at which flame appears. Although ceramizable materials may be obtained through the application of various polymers, e.g., EVA [1,2,3], PE [4], SBR [5,6], NBR [7], EPDM [8,9] etc., silicone rubber is considered to be the optimal precursor [10,11] due to the high energy value of the Si-O bond in the backbone chain.…”

Effect of graphite and common rubber plasticizers on properties and performance of ceramizable styrene–butadiene rubber-based composites

“…In order to have a good comparative parameter between the composites, a HRR p /t HRR ratio was calculated ( Table 3). This parameter (known also as FIGRA) is often used to compare combustibility of polymer composites based on the cone calorimetry results [19]. Therefore, by using just one parameter, one can observe how dynamic was the heat generation rate during the test and how long the sample had to be exposed to the heating IR radiators to burn with the highest efficiency.…”

“…Recently, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) has been introduced as a continuous phase for ceramizable composites [18][19][20][21]. We proposed an alternative solution consisting in the application of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) as polymer matrix for ceramizable composites [22,23].…”

Synergistic Effect of Mica, Glass Frit, and Melamine Cyanurate for Improving Fire Resistance of Styrene-Butadiene Rubber Composites Destined for Ceramizable Coatings

“…The most promising replacement for silicone rubber nowadays seems to be the poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) copolymer (EVA), ensuring good mechanical properties both before and after ceramization [29][30][31][32]. The positive effects of EVA application as a matrix for ceramizable composites resulted also in using it as a blend with silicone rubber [33]. However, the use of silicone rubber alone is still very prospective [34,35].…”