Effect of Modified Silica Fume Using MPTMS for the Enhanced EPDM Foam Insulation

Silica fume (SF) is a by-product from the production of silicon metal, which has a relatively high silica concentration. The surface modified silica fume (mSF) is treated with (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) as filler in ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) foam. The FTIR spectra of mSF clearly indicated that MPTMS can be successfully bonded to the SF surface. The reinforcing efficiency of mSF-filled EPDM foam insulation indicated that the mechanical properties such as hardness, tensile strength, modulus, and compression set enhanced higher than in case of SF and calcium carbonate. While the cure characteristics such as the maximum torque (MH), the minimum torque (ML) and the differential torque (MH-ML) are increasing in proportion to increasing filler contents, mainly with mSF. For the cure behavior, the mSF-filled EPDM foam insulation showed the fastest cure time (tc90) and scorch time (ts2) due to reduced accelerator adsorption. Whereas, the calcium carbonate-filled EPDM foam insulation increased the cure time (tc90) and scorch time (ts2), therefore, it also prevents compound scorching. The results indicated that the mSF with MPTMS can be used as an alternative filler for EPDM foam insulation.