Hydrothermal Aging Test and Storage Life Prediction of GD414 Silicone Rubber for Spacecrafts

The hydrothermal aging properties of GD414 type silicone rubber materials for spacecrafts were studied through accelerated aging tests. A hydro-thermal aging model for the storage life of GD414 type silicone rubber materials was established, and the storage life of GD414 type silicone rubber was predicted by using the model. The results show that temperature and humidity have a great influence on the mechanical and electrical properties of GD414 type silicone rubber materials. With the aging time prolonging, the tensile strength and breakdown voltage tend to decrease. The surface color of the tensile samples deepened gradually and the fracture morphology of the tensile samples did not change significantly. Infrared spectroscopy results show that no new functional groups were formed during the hydrothermal aging tests of GD414 type silicone rubber. Under the conditions of 20 ℃ and relative humidity of 60%, the storage life of GD414 type silicone rubber materials is 17.1 years.