Investigation into reversion of polyurethane encapsulants

The effect of high humidity (95% RH) at 60 C, 70 C, 85 C and 100 C on the solid-to-liquid reversion of polyurethane elastomers (used for potting electrical connectors and conformal coating printed circuit boards) was investigated. Hardness measurements were conducted on eleven elastomers to track reversion for a 101-day period. The primary purpose of the tests was to provide data to predict service life for the polyurethane elastomers. This was not accomplished as the hardness did not deteriorate rapidly enough at the lower test temperatures. The tests did determine that the potting and coating materials most widely used on the S-1C Program are susceptible to reversion but appear adequate for service in the S-1C environment.