Influence of Material Viscosity on the Properties of Extruded High-Consistency Silicone Rubber Foam Profiles

High-consistency silicone rubbers can be foamed with various chemical and physical blowing agents. However, due to the toxic and, therewith, harmful effects of chemical blowing agents, physical blowing agents are becoming increasingly important. In this thesis, the influence of the viscosity adjusted via the silica content of different high-consistency silicone rubbers on the foam morphology of water-foamed extruded profiles was investigated. It was found that increasing viscosity led to a decrease in pore size and an increase in pore density, which was also reflected in an increase in density.