Silicone foam is a synthetic rubber

Rubber

Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...

 product used in gasket

Gasket

thumb|sright|250px|Some seals and gaskets1. [[o-ring]]2. fiber [[Washer |washer]]3. paper gaskets4. [[cylinder head]] [[head gasket|gasket]]...

ing, sheets and firestop

Firestop

A firestop is a passive fire protection system of various components used to seal openings and joints in fire-resistance rated wall and/or floor assemblies, based on fire testing and certification listings....

s. It is available in solid, cured form as well as in individual liquid components for field installations.

Uses

• Gasket
  Gasket
  thumb|sright|250px|Some seals and gaskets1. [[o-ring]]2. fiber [[Washer |washer]]3. paper gaskets4. [[cylinder head]] [[head gasket|gasket]]...
  
  s
• Sheets
• High temperature tubes for autoclave
  Autoclave
  An autoclave is an instrument used to sterilize equipment and supplies by subjecting them to high pressure saturated steam at 121 °C for around 15–20 minutes depending on the size of the load and the contents. It was invented by Charles Chamberland in 1879, although a precursor known as the...
  
  s
• Firestop
  Firestop
  A firestop is a passive fire protection system of various components used to seal openings and joints in fire-resistance rated wall and/or floor assemblies, based on fire testing and certification listings....
  
  s
• Surfactant
  Surfactant
  Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension of a liquid, the interfacial tension between two liquids, or that between a liquid and a solid...
  
  s

Vulcanisation

When the constituent components of silicone foam are mixed together, they evolve hydrogen

Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...

 gas, which causes bubbles to form within the rubber, as it changes from liquid to solid. This results in an outward pressure, causing friction

Friction

Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and/or material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction:...

between the foam and whatever it is poured into. Temperature and humidity can influence the rate of expansion. If the gas escapes over time, that friction is reduced.

External links

• http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/event/2010/20100921en.html#en46261United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Event Number: 46261: 1" gap appeared in the RTV silicone foam firestop in an Appendix R wall between Fire Area (FA) 29 and FA 30 at PRAIRIE ISLAND, MN, NRC Region 3, Notification Date: 09/20/2010, Notification Time: 17:26 (ET), Event Date: 09/16/2010, Event Time: 13:43 (CDT), Last Update Date: 09/20/2010]
• Silicone foam used as high temperature tube for autoclave
• Stockwell Elastomerics silicone foam used in gasketing
• Silicone sponge sheets
• United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Information Notice 88-04, INADEQUATE QUALIFICATION AND DOCUMENTATION OF FIRE BARRIER PENETRATION SEALS - Bounding
• United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Information Notice 88-04 Supplement 1, INADEQUATE QUALIFICATION AND DOCUMENTATION OF FIRE BARRIER PENETRATION SEALS - 4 fires in Diablo Canyon starting inside silicone foam
• United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Information Notice 88-56 POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH SILICONE FOAM FIRE BARRIER PENETRATION SEALS
• United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Information Notice 94-28 POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH FIRE-BARRIER PENETRATION SEALS)
• ccnr.org Representative Ed Markey's Statements concerning flammable firestops
• Silicone foam surfactant, the Marangioni effect on cell stabilisation