Service Temperatures of Popular Elastomers

High Temperature

The high-temperature limit is generally considered a 30–50% loss of physical properties and typically represents a maximum temperature for 1,000 hours continuous service. It represents an irreversible change in the backbone or cross-link network.

The effect of high temperature can be compounded by the interaction with the chemical media. Chemical reactions typically double with a 10°C increase in temperature.

Low Temperature

The low-temperature limit is generally 15°F below TR-10 for static seals. For dynamic seals the TR-10 is more relevant. The TR-10 is the temperature at which an elastomer is able to retract 10%.

Low-temperature performance is generally a reversible process.

For design purposes compression is generally increased. The chemical media may cause swelling which may act as a plasticizer and lower the service temperature.

Compounding affects performance at both high and low
temperatures. Not all compounds of a given elastomer have
the same temperature range. The temperature limits in the
chart span the range of the compounds of each elastomer.