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PU and silicone coated fabric and heat

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Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
Benjamin Meadors
PostedSep 9, 2013 at 12:34 pm

I have had experiences with heat de-laminating PU coated ripstop nylon materials on packs and tents in the heat (Arkansas). Items made with these materials which have a limited life-span as it is, seem to be limited even more when I have stored them in a hot attic or have had them in a car for a long period during the summer time.
My question is this. Since the process of creating silnylon seems to be fundamentally different and silicone seems to be more thermally stable than PU, would I ruin a silnylon tarp by storing it in say a day-pack in my car for an extended period in the hot weather for impromptu camping, or will it be resilient enough? Does the nylon play any role in this, or is it more an issue of the coatings?
I'm curious to see if any of you guys have some thoughts on this.

Thanks

Roger Caffin BPL Member
PostedSep 9, 2013 at 3:41 pm

It will not do as much harm to the silnylon coating as to PU coating.
All the same, gear is best stored loose and dry.

Cheers

Colin Krusor
PostedSep 9, 2013 at 4:07 pm

I agree with Roger. Silicone is much more resistant to damage by heat than urethanes. The peeling that you saw was probably due to hydrolysis. At elevated temperatures, urethanes react chemically with any available moisture (even atmospheric moisture) and gradually lose their integrity (cracking and peeling).

I would not expect to see any changes in silnylon exposed to hot car or hot attic temperatures, even over long periods of time.

Benjamin Meadors
PostedSep 10, 2013 at 6:04 am

Thanks guys. I generally don't store things in extreme conditions anymore. I was just curious as to what exactly was causing the issues I had with it in the past.

"and cool? like maybe room temperature 72 F?"
I wish that was a normal room temperature for us. The Mrs and I fight over the thermostat.

steven franchuk
PostedSep 11, 2013 at 12:21 am

I have a couple of old backpacks that have a failed PU coating. Both were stored inside at room temperature most of the time. I don't think it is temperature that does it. It's probably a combination of humidity and and temperature.

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

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