Lubricious Silicone Cable Jackets and Cable Assemblies Formed Therefrom
A silicone cable jacket and a cable assembly formed therefrom exhibits lubricious properties. The silicone cable jacket includes a silicone elastomer and a PSQ additive. The PSQ additive is selected as a polyalkylsilsesquioxane, a polyarylsilsesquioxane, a polyalkylaryl-silsesquioxane, or a mixture thereof. The silicone cable jacket exhibits a lower static and dynamic coefficient of friction (COF) as measured according to ASTM D 1894-14 and an enhanced level of abrasion resistance in a DIN 53516 test as compared to a similar cable jacket without the PSQ additive.
1 . A silicone cable jacket that exhibits lubricious properties, the cable jacket comprising:
a silicone elastomer; and
a PSQ additive, the PSQ additive being selected from the group of polyalkylsilsesquioxanes, polyarylsilsesquioxanes, polyalkylarylsilsesquioxanes, or a mixture thereof.
2 . The cable jacket according to claim 1 , wherein the silicone elastomer is a liquid silicone rubber (LSR).
3 . The cable jacket according to claim 1 , wherein the silicone elastomer is a high consistency rubber (HCR).
4 . The cable jacket according to claim 3 , wherein the cable jacket further comprises a layer of a liquid silicone rubber (LSR) that at least partially encapsulates the silicone elastomer and is bonded thereto.
5 . The cable jacket according to claim 1 , wherein the PSQ additive is selected as one from the group of polymethylsilsesquioxane, polyethylsilsesquioxane, polypropylsilsesquioxane, polyphenylsilsesquioxane, polymethylphenylsilsesquioxane, polyethylphenylsilsesquioxane, or a mixture thereof.
6 . The cable jacket according to claim 5 , wherein the PSQ additive is polymethylsilsesquioxane.
7 . The cable jacket according to claim 1 , wherein the PSQ additive is incorporated into the cable jacket in an amount within the range of about 10 wt. % to about 30 wt. % based on the overall weight of the cable jacket.
8 . The cable jacket according to claim 1 , wherein the PSQ additive comprises one or more hydroxyl- or alkoxy-functional groups.
9 . The cable jacket according to claim 8 , wherein the PSQ additive and the silicone elastomer are cross-linked.
10 . The cable jacket according to claim 1 , wherein the cable jacket with the PSQ additive exhibits at least a 30% reduction in weight loss in a DIN 53516 test as compared to a similar cable jacket without the PSQ additive.
11 . The cable jacket according to claim 1 , wherein the cable jacket with the PSQ additive exhibits a lower static and dynamic coefficient of friction (COF) as measured according to ASTM D 1894-14 than a similar cable jacket without the PSQ additive.
12 . The cable jacket according to claim 11 , wherein the cable jacket with the PSQ additive exhibits a static COF that is at least 25% lower than the static COF than a similar cable jacket without the PSQ additive.
13 . The cable jacket according to claim 1 , wherein the cable jacket with the PSQ additive exhibits at least a 50% reduction in weight loss in a DIN 53516 abrasion test, at least a 40% lower static coefficient of friction (COF) as measured according to ASTM D 1894-14, and a decrease in tear resistance by more than 15% in an ASTM D 624-00(12) test as compared to a similar cable jacket without the PSQ additive.
14 . A cable assembly, the cable assembly comprising:
a cable; and
a cable jacket, wherein the cable jacket comprises
a silicone elastomer; and
a PSQ additive, the PSQ additive being selected from the group of polyalkylsilsesquioxanes, polyarylsilsesquioxanes, polyalkylarylsilses-quioxanes, or a mixture thereof.
15 . The cable assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the cable assembly passes at least 150 cycles of autoclave conditioning without the occurrence of any bonding defects between the cable jacket and the cable.
16 . The cable assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the silicone elastomer is a high consistency rubber (HCR) and the PSQ additive is polymethylsilsesquioxane;
wherein the PSQ additive is incorporated into the cable jacket in an amount within the range of about 10 wt. % to about 30 wt. % based on the overall weight of the cable jacket.
17 . The cable assembly according to claim 16 , wherein the cable jacket further comprises a layer of a liquid silicone rubber (LSR) that at least partially encapsulates the silicone elastomer and is bonded thereto.
18 . The cable assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the PSQ additive comprises one or more hydroxyl- or alkoxy-functional groups, such that the PSQ additive and the silicone elastomer can be cross-linked.
19 . The cable assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the cable jacket with the PSQ additive exhibits a lower static and dynamic coefficient of friction (COF) as measured according to ASTM D 1894-14 and at least a 30% reduction in weight loss in a DIN 53516 test as compared to a similar cable jacket without the PSQ additive;
wherein the static COF exhibited by the cable jacket with the PSQ additive is at least 25% lower than the static COF exhibited by the similar cable jacket without the PSQ additive.
20 . The cable assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the cable assembly is used in a medical, automotive, aerospace, defense, or marine application.