Curing of silicone sealants

The system is a non-linear coupled partial derivatives equation system. It has been solved by a numerical method. The resolution subroutine is provided by the NAG (Numerical Algorithm Group) library. The model developed has been used to simulate the curing of silicone sealants. For K and K2, literature values vary from 0.01 to 0.0001 L/mol s [5 - 11]. The concentration in reactive groups was set to 0.5 mol/L, which corresponds to the concentration in curing agent typically used in a silicone sealant. 

A model for the cure of silicone sealants has been developed. Crosslink density evolution has been studied. The model leads to a better understanding of behavior differences between fast curing acetic type silicone sealants and Alkoxy type silicone sealants with a slower cure. The model explains problems such as tacky surfaces. The data obtained in this study help in designing formulations well-tailored to specific application requirements. 

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