Loss and recovery of hydrophobicity on RTV coating surfaces. Loss of hydrophobicity [comment and reply]

For original paper see ibid., vol. 1, no. 4, p. 601-4 (1994). Discusses the optimal contamination layer to be allowed on an RTV coated insulator. Is there at all such an optimal quantity? Does such an optimal contamination layer depend on the thickness of the RTV coating? The question of differences in silicone rubber properties to embed surface pollutants as well as to recover hydrophobicity has been analysed at length. Do the original authors have data which indicate the diffusion of the low molecular weight (LMW) fraction from thinner and thicker RTV coatings? A reply by the authors is appended