Accelerated Thermal Aging Test for Predicting Lifespan of Urethane-Based Elastomer Potting Compound

In the field of electronic components, the potting material, which is a part of the electronic circuit package, plays a significant role in protecting circuits from the external environment and reducing signal interference among electronic devices during operation. This significantly affects the reliability of the components. Therefore, the accurate prediction and assessment of the lifespan of a material are of paramount importance in the electronics industry. We conducted an accelerated thermal aging evaluation using the Arrhenius technique on elastic potting material developed in-house, focusing on its insulation, waterproofing, and contraction properties. Through a comprehensive analysis of these properties and their interrelations, we confirmed the primary factors influencing molding material failure, as increased hardness is related to aggregation, adhesion, and post-hardening or thermal-aging-induced contraction. Furthermore, when plotting failure times against temperature, we observed that the hardness, adhesive strength, and water absorption rate were the predominant factors up to 120 ℃. Beyond this temperature, the tensile properties were the primary contributing factors. In contrast, the dielectric constant and loss tangent, which are vital for reducing signal interference in electric devices, exhibited positive changes(decreases) with aging and could be excluded as failure factors. Our findings establish valuable correlations between physical properties and techniques for the accurate prediction of failure time, with broad implications for future product lifespans. This study is particularly advantageous for advancing elastic potting materials to satisfy the stringent requirements of reliable environments.