The group of silicones includes very different products such as silicone oils, silicone resins and silicone rubbers. The first manufactured silicone elastomers were developed at General Electric in 1943. Over the course of time, systems were formulated that allow curing/vulcanisation at room temperature. In this case, the chemical reaction is called vulcanising.
These types are referred to as RTV (room temperature vulcanising) types. RTV sealants vulcanise by contact with atmospheric humidity at about 20°C. The higher the relative humidity, the faster the chemical transformation can take place. Likewise, the temperature also has a significant influence on the reaction speed. At higher warmth, the chemical reaction proceeds faster, at colder temperatures, it proceeds slower. Only without humidity, these systems do not react even at higher temperatures. The curing of RTV-1 sealants is therefore faster in summer than in winter.
