A rate-dependent damage model for elastomers at large strain

Abstract eng:
The fracture toughness of elastomers is known to depend on the rate of crack propagation. It has been proposed that rate dependent chain scission, where bonds on the polymer chains are ruptured under mechanical stress, is a contributing factor to this rate dependence. To model this process we introduce chain scission, predicted using concepts of mechanochemistry, into a hyperelastic constitutive model (Arruda-Boyce as an example). The result is a model capable of handling large strain and rate dependent damage. Additionally, polydispersity is incorporated by considering a distribution of chain lengths, which gives the model the capability to predict progressive material damage. To demonstrate the application of the model, uniaxial tensile deformation with constant extension rates is examined. The tensile stress is found to first reach a peak and then decrease due to scission, and faster rates of deformation result in larger peak stress. The model has also been implemented in a finite element subroutine to demonstrate its application to crack initiation.

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