Thermomechanical behavior of aerospace-grade RTV (silicone adhesive)

Measurements of the tensile moduli of RTV 566 specimens were also conducted under isothermal conditions at reduced temperatures. After exposure to temperatures below −75 °C for several hours, tensile moduli rose by as much as a factor of 40. Volumetric shrinkage of 0.35% was demonstrated after 50 h under isothermal condition at −80 °C. These measurements demonstrate previously unpublished manifestations of crystallization occurring in this material, which is based upon a polydimethylsiloxane with phenyl substituents for some of the methyl groups.