Study of thermal ageing of an elastomeric seal by nanoindentation
Abstract
This study focuses on the local mechanical behavior of an elastomer matrix filled with two populations of particles, subjected to a thermal ageing during the application lifespan. The elastomer seal to study is very thin and confined between two stiffer materials. This geometry makes it near impossible to use traditional mechanical characterisation techniques to study the evolution of mechanical properties with ageing. The nanoindentation is a technique of choice for this study, since the volume of tested material is very small. However, this technique was developed for homogeneous elasto-plastic materials with smooth surface and needs to be taken with caution when used on filled elastomers. Hereafter, uniaxial tests and nanoindentation tests performed on PDMS filled with SiO2 and CaCO3 particles are presented and the mechanical behavior of virgin and aged samples is compared through nanoindentation.