Jehbco’s extruded silicone products are used in a multitude of application areas, and we have a range of silicone grades to suit every application.

When selecting a silicone grade for your application, it is essential to determine the tear strength required.  Tear strength measures a material’s ability to resist failure by tearing.  For polymers such as silicone, this is determined by measuring the speed of growth of existing cracks when the material is placed under tension.  This is measured in Newtons of tensile force per millimetre of product thickness.  Tear strength not only measures how easily a material will fail by tearing when placed under load, but provides an indication of the abrasion and wear resistance of the material.

If the tear strength is lower than required, silicone can suffer from wear and form cracks and tears.  Applications such as piping in the food and beverage industries, gaskets, seals and vacuum blankets require silicone free from wear and cracks.  In the best case, cracks and tears will reduce the product longevity.  In the worst case, these cracks and tears can cause product failure, leakage and damage to other parts of the system.

Figure 1: Jehbco high tear silicone sheeting for vacuum blankets.

By selecting a silicone with sufficient tear strength, the danger of product failure can be avoided.  A good first step in determining the tear strength required for your application is to look at similar applications and the tear strength of the materials used, measured in N/mm.  Jehbco produce a range of silicones with different tear strengths to suit many applications.

Tear strength is an important material property and Jehbco can tailor a silicone product to the tear strength requirements of your application.  For any help with your application please review the Jehbco website www.Jehbco.com.au, and contact us with any questions.