Effect of Cyclic Deformation on Magnetorheological Elastomers

Fatigue properties of magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) samples were investigated based on cis-polybutadiene rubber by using a fatigue test machine. Three MRE samples with iron particles mass fraction of 60%, 70%, and 80% were fabricated, and their properties dependence of three strain amplitudes (50%, 75%, and 100%) were measured. The absolute magnetorheological (MR) effect, storage modulus, and loss modulus of MRE samples after fatigue were evaluated by a modified dynamic mechanical analyzer. The results revealed that MR effect, storage modulus, and loss modulus of MREs containing 80% iron particles depended strongly on the strain amplitudes and the number of cycles, while storage mod-ulus and loss modulus of MREs containing 70% iron particles also depended on the strain amplitudes and the number of cycles but not as strongly as sample which contains 80% iron particles, but the properties of MREs containing 60% iron particles after cyclic deforma-tion were almost independent of the fatigued conditions. In order to investigate the fatigue mechanism of MREs, the sample was carried out with a quasi-static tensile testing and its surface morphology during testing was observed in situ by scanning electron microscopy.     

The evaluation and implementation of magnetic fields for large strain uniaxial and biaxial cyclic testing of Magnetorheological Elastomers

Magnetorheological Elastomers (MREs) are “smart” materials whose physical properties are altered by the application of magnetic fields. In previous studies the properties of MREs have been evaluated under a variety of conditions, however little attention has been paid to the recording and reporting of the magnetic fields used in these tests [1]. Currently there is no standard accepted method for specifying the magnetic field applied during MRE testing. This study presents a detailed map of a magnetic field applied during MRE tests as well as providing the first comparative results for uniaxial and biaxial testing under high strain fatigue test conditions. Both uniaxial tension tests and equi-biaxial bubble inflation tests were performed on isotropic natural rubber MREs using the same magnetic fields having magnetic flux densities up to 206 mT. The samples were cycled between pre-set strain limits. The magnetic field was switched on for a number of consecutive cycles and off for the same number of following cycles. The resultant change in stress due to the application and removal of the magnetic field was recorded and results are presented.     

Parameters influencing fatigue life prediction of dielectric elastomer generators

For energy scavenging applications, estimating fatigue life of dielectric elastomer is as crucial as computing the amount of scavenged energy. Crack growth approach, well known in rubber industry, is a fast methodology to estimate fatigue life. We adapt this methodology to dielectric silicone elastomers (Elastosil 2030) and we focus in particular on the factors influencing this estimation such as sample geometry, tearing energy, power law. We underline that the variation in tearing energy estimation induces a small dispersion on the fatigue life estimation whereas power law identification is the crucial and critical parameter. Finally, we define an index of performance based on fatigue life and scavenged energy density, and we compare two materials (acrylic 3MVHB4910 and silicone Elastosil 2030).     

Large-strain behaviour of Magneto-Rheological Elastomers tested under uniaxial compression and tension,and pure shear deformations

The large-strain behaviour of Magneto-Rheological Elastomers (MREs) is characterised experimentally under uniaxial compression, uniaxial tension and pure shear deformation, in the absence and in the presence of magnetic fields. MREs are ‘smart’ materials that can alter their properties instantaneously by the application of external stimuli. They hold great potential for use in adaptive stiffness devices. So far, the large-strain behaviour of MREs has not been well explored, and their behaviour under pure shear deformation has not been characterised. Tests on silicone rubber based isotropic and anisotropic MREs, with and without the application of an external magnetic field have been performed in this investigation. The MR effect, defined as the increase in tangent moduli, is studied versus large engineering strain. Strains were measured optically using a Digital Image Correlation (DIC) system. Relative MR effects up to 284% were found under uniaxial tension, when a magnetic field strength of 290 mT was applied with the loading direction parallel to the direction of particle alignment.     

Experimental characterization and viscoelastic modeling of isotropic and anisotropic magnetorheological elastomers

The paper presents experimental research and numerical modeling of dynamic properties of magnetorheological elastomers (MREs). Isotropic and anisotropic MREs have been prepared based on silicone matrix filled by micro-sized carbonyl iron particles. Dynamic properties of the isotropic and anisotropic MREs were determined using double-lap shear test under harmonic loading in the displacement control mode. Effects of excitation frequency, strain amplitude, and magnetic field intensity on the dynamic properties of the MREs were examined. Dynamic moduli of the MREs decreased with increasing the strain amplitude of applied harmonic load. The dynamic moduli and damping properties of the MREs increased with increasing the frequency and magnetic flux density. The anisotropic MREs showed higher dynamic moduli and magnetorheological (MR) effect than those of the isotropic ones. The MR effect of the MREs increased with the rise of the magnetic flux density. The dependence of dynamic moduli and loss factor on the frequency and magnetic flux density was numerically studied using four-parameter fractional derivative viscoelastic model. The model was fitted well to experimental data for both isotropic and anisotropic MREs. The fitting of dynamic moduli and loss factor for the isotropic and anisotropic MREs is in good agreement with experimental results.     

梯形交变加载作用下聚碳酸酯的应变与寿命

对聚碳酸酯在交变 持久载荷复合作用下应变与寿命研究表明 ,其疲劳 蠕变曲线与纯蠕变曲线十分相似 .加载时间周期越短和交变载荷变化越频繁 ,普弹应变阶段的斜率和应变越小 ,进入延迟弹性变形的平台应变阶段越早 .随每一次循环中的最大载荷加载保持时间延长 ,聚碳酸酯断裂寿命减小 .以最大载荷为恒载荷一直加载的纯蠕变曲线 ,平台最高 ,断裂时间最早 .而最大载荷加载作用时间为 0的纯疲劳曲线 ,平台最低 ,断裂时间最迟 .在交变 持久载荷复合作用下聚碳酸酯存在疲劳和蠕变的交互损伤 ,其断裂寿命N Nf 和 ∑t tr比纯疲劳或纯蠕变的断裂寿命低 ;断裂寿命减小 .并且 ,疲劳 蠕变的交互损伤程度与温度密切相关 .聚碳酸酯在较低温度的疲劳 蠕变交互损伤作用大于较高温度的交互损伤作用 .随温度升高 ,疲劳 蠕变断裂寿命下降是疲劳和蠕变各自的单独损伤增加所致     

Investigation of different influences on the fatigue behaviour of industrial rubbers

Load conditions used typically for fatigue life investigations can differ strongly from the conditions for real rubber products. For example, the frequency of the laboratory measurements is increased and the product load curve is simplified to a sine. In this paper, industrial rubber blends (SBR/BR/NR blends) under tension–compression load are used. First, the influence of a higher frequency (5 Hz) compared to the product relevant frequency (1 Hz) is investigated. A higher frequency does not influence the fatigue life but certainly the sample temperature and material behaviour. This is further investigated by varying the ambient temperature for 1 Hz measurements and the strain rate. Second, a non-sinusoidal wave form depicting the product loading case is selected. The load oscillates between tension and compression with dwell periods in every cycle. The results are comparable to those of a sine wave with the same frequency.     

Evaluation and modeling of the mechanical properties of graphite nanoplatelets based rubber nanocomposites for pressure sensing applications

Acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) compounds filled with different concentrations of graphite nanoplatelets were experimentally investigated. The stress–strain curves of the nanocomposites were studied, which suggest good filler–matrix adhesion. The large reinforcement effect of the filler followed the Guth model for non‐spherical particles. The effect of graphite nanoplatelets on the cyclic fatigue and hysteresis was also examined. The loading and unloading stress–strain relationships for any cycle were described by applying Ogden's model for rubber nanocomposites. With this model for incompressible materials, expressions may be developed to predict the stress–strain relationship for any given cycle. The dissipated energy increased with graphite nanoplatelets concentrations and decrease with number of cycles. The rate of damage accumulation becomes marginal after first ten cycles. The rate of damage increases as the amount of graphite nanoplatelets increase into the rubber matrix. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evolution of the dynamic fatigue failure of the adhesion between rubber and polymer cords

The evolution of the dynamic fatigue of the adhesion in a tire carcass compound reinforced by polymer cords under cyclic loading was investigated using a self-developed fatigue test. The characteristic curves are used to explain the evolution of the fatigue failure of the adhesion between rubber and polymer cords. Three stages are identified during the evolution of the dynamic fatigue. Under stress-controlled mode by MTS-ETS (Mechanical Testing&Simulation–Elastomer Testing System), an equation to forecast the adhesion life of rubber/polymer cords composites has been developed. Under strain-controlled mode by MTS, a strain threshold value (87.8%) separating the evolution into two parts was identified. The effects of frequency on the adhesion were also investigated and suggest that, within the experimental range, regardless of the frequency, the adhesion life at a given stress amplitude is constant.     

Influence of loading frequency on the fatigue behaviour of coir fibre reinforced PP composite

The influence of loading frequency on the fatigue behaviour of a coir fibre reinforced polypropylene (PP) composite was studied. The mechanical behaviour was assessed through monotonic tensile and flexural tests, followed by cyclic bending fatigue tests employing a new specimen geometry, with loading frequencies ranging from 5 to 35 Hz. Results revealed that higher strain rates during monotonic loading lead to higher flexural strength, and higher loading frequencies in cyclic tests promote reduction in fatigue life. Fractographic examination showed that one of the reasons for reduced fatigue life under higher loading frequencies might be related to increased heat generation by hysteresis, leading to a fatigue damage mechanism governed by temperature effects. The results, thus, encourage the development of good practices regarding test frequencies in order to be able to uncouple thermal and mechanical effects and provide relevant data for structural integrity assessments.     

Fatigue Behavior of Composite Sandwich Panels Under Three Point Bending Load

In this paper, the bending fatigue tests of honeycomb sandwich panels are carried out by using an improved three-point bending test fixture, and the S-N curves at different stress ratios are obtained. Through the records of fatigue damage in the experiment, the failure mode of the honeycomb sandwich panels and the source of fatigue damage are determined. At the same time, through the calculation of the shear stress distribution on the honeycomb wall, the reasons for the difference in the failure morphology of the L-direction and W-direction sandwich panels are clarified. Besides, a life prediction method is proposed and its effectiveness in predicting the fatigue life of sandwich panels has been verified.     

Design of a modified three-rail shear test for shear fatigue of composites

There are various ways of determining the static in-plane shear properties of a fibre-reinforced composite. One of them is the standard three-rail shear test, as described in “ASTM D 4255/D 4255M The standard test method for in-plane shear properties of polymer matrix composite materials by the rail shear method”. This setup, however, requires drilling holes through the specimen. In this study, a new design based on friction and geometrical gripping, without the need of drilling holes through the composite specimen is presented. Quasi-static tests have been performed to assess the symmetry of the setup and the occurrence of buckling. Then, fatigue tests were done to assess the behaviour of the grips under fatigue loading conditions, yielding excellent results; the specimen fails under shear loading conditions in the loaded area. The material used to validate this setup was a carbon fabric-reinforced polyphenylene sulphide.

During fatigue, this material shows an increase in permanent deformation and a decrease in shear stiffness until a certain point in time, after which a drastic increase in deformation and temperature, higher than the softening temperature of the matrix occurs. Furthermore, the maximum value of the shear stress for fatigue with R=0 has a large influence on the fatigue lifetime.     

Élaboration de nouvelles lois de comportement pour les élastomères : principe et avantages

A phenomenological study of deformed rubber in uniaxial tension, pure shear and equi-biaxial tension, leads to a generalized strain energy density representation for hyperelastic elastomeric material behaviour. A strain energy density function family is built with a new process. It is particularly well adapted for representing experimental data of different types of loading, and so, for a wide class of elastomers. Besides, parameter identification of this family of strain energy density functions is simple and fast.     

Two new criteria for the service life prediction of plastics pipes

In this contribution, two new criteria and related methodologies for the prediction of the long-term (creep rupture) behavior of single layer and multilayer plastics pipes under hydrostatic pressure are presented. One of these is the ultimate strain extrapolation method (USEM) and the other is called the distortion energy extrapolation method (DEEM). The strain concept is based on the use of the failure strain criteria instead of the normally employed stress concept. A related long-term extrapolation methodology is presented that employs the ultimate strain instead of the rupture stress. The strain energy concept is based on the use of the distortion energy corresponding to the failure stress. For both of these two criteria, related extrapolation methodologies are introduced. An example is presented that compares the classical standard extrapolation method (SEM) with the ultimate strain and the energy methods. For correlation of various models, an example of a PVC-U pipe under internal hydrostatic pressure at T=20 °C was studied. The three models employed were the stress-based, the strain-based, and the energy-based regression analyses. Direct regression analysis was performed for all three failure criteria. However, for comparison, the modified version of the SEM was also used. In all cases, a complete match between the independent model and the modified SEM analysis was obtained. A backward calculation of failure stress from the long-term failure distortion energy gave a 50-year failure stress equal to 18.59 MPa. This value was lower than the stress-based extrapolation (25.37 MPa) and higher than the strain-based extrapolation. The proposed USEM is suitable for materials which fail due to the ultimate strain state and not necessarily due to the maximum stresses. Thus, the proposed strain extrapolation criteria may prove to be especially suitable for brittle and fiber reinforced materials. The strain-based extrapolation can be used in connection with rupture data in internal hydrostatic tests or creep rupture of pipe samples under other loading conditions. The DEEM, on the other hand, is believed to be applicable to a broad range of material types. The proposed methodologies can be used as a new guideline for prediction of the service life of single layer brittle thermoplastics pipes, glass fiber reinforced laminate pipes, and multilayer plastics pipes with fiber reinforced layers.     

Manipulation of mechanical properties of short pineapple leaf fiber reinforced natural rubber composites through variations in cross-link density and carbon black loading

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that the stress–strain behavior of natural rubber reinforced with short pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) can easily be manipulated by changing the cross-link density and the amount of carbon black (CB) primary filler. This gives more manageable control of mechanical properties than is possible with conventional particulate fillers alone. This type of hybrid rubber composite displays a very sharp rise in stress at very low strains, and then the stress levels off at medium strains before turning up again at the highest strains. The composites studied here contain a fixed amount of PALF at 10 part (by weight) per hundred rubber (phr) and varying carbon black contents from 0 to 30 phr. To change the cross-link density, the amount of sulfur was varied from 2 to 4 phr. Swelling ratio results indicate that composites prepared with greater amounts of sulfur and carbon black have greater cross-link densities. Consequently, this affects the stress–strain behavior of the composites. The greater the cross-link density, the less is the strain at which the stress upturn occurs. Variations in the rate of stress increase (although not the stress itself) in the very low strain region, while dependent on fillers, are not dependent on the crosslink density. The effect of changes in crosslinking is most obvious in the high strain region. Here, the rate of stress increase becomes larger with increasing cross-link density. Hence, we demonstrate that the use of PALF filler, along with the usual carbon primary filler, provides a convenient method for the manipulation of the stress–strain relationships of the reinforced rubber. Such composites can be prepared with a controllable, wide range of mechanical behavior for specific high performance engineering applications.     

Prediction of fatigue properties of natural rubber based on the descriptions of the cracks population and of the dissipated energy

The goal of this paper is to relate the fatigue lifetime to the energy dissipation and the crack population for a Natural Rubber (NR) compound filled with carbon black. First, the dissipated energy is measured by thermal measurements and its evolution with the local strain is described. Then, the crack population under fatigue loading is investigated thanks to interrupted fatigue tests and SEM measurements. The dependency of the evolution of the crack surface density on the local strain and number of cycles is described. Finally, a fatigue criterion is suggested, starting from the basic assumption of accumulation of dissipated energy along the fatigue cycles. Combining the evolution of the dissipated energy and the crack surface density, the energetic criterion can be written as a simple expression using a single parameter. The predictions obtained with the identified criterion are compared with the results from classic fatigue tests and very close agreement is found.     

橡胶贮存寿命预测方法研究进展与思考建议

概述了用数学模型法预测橡胶贮存寿命的方法,包括阿伦尼斯模型,用ASTM D412评估橡胶拉伸性能,应力应变老化模型,压缩永久变形的预测方法,橡胶疲劳寿命损伤模型,用有限元法考核橡胶的裂纹长度与抗裂能之间的关系,基于叠加原理的寿命预测模型等,针对上述模型预测研究结果提出了相关思考建议。认为以老化动力学为基础预测材料寿命的数学模型法发展非常迅速,建议深入研究并拓宽应用;在透彻了解和掌握必需的分子结构参数的基础上,如果结合计算机技术模拟长期贮存或使用条件,对橡胶老化反应机理的研究可能是一个有前景的发展方向。     

On the difference in material structure and fatigue properties of nylon specimens produced by injection molding and selective laser sintering

This paper describes the influence of dynamic tension/compression loading on notched and unnotched nylon specimens fabricated by Injection Molding (IM) and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS). The main objective of this work is to analyze and describe the differences in material structure and fatigue properties of as-built nylon parts produced by IM and SLM from the same polyamide 12 powder. The differences in dimensional quality, density, surface roughness, crystal structure and crystallinity are systematically measured and linked to the mechanical fatigue properties. The fatigue properties of the unnotched SLS specimens are found to be equal to those of the unnotched IM specimens. The presence of pores in the sintered samples does not lead to rapid failure, and the microvoid coalescence failure mechanism is delayed. The notched specimens show more brittle failure and increased fatigue resistance which is caused by local notch-strengthening. The results enable improved understanding of the difference in material structure and fatigue behavior of selective laser sintered and injection molded polyamide.     

Influences of different dimensional carbon-based nanofillers on fracture and fatigue resistance of natural rubber composites

The dimensions of reinforcing filler is a key factor in influencing the fracture and fatigue of rubbers. Here, the fracture and fatigue resistance of natural rubber (NR) filled with different dimensional carbon-based fillers including zero-dimensional spherical carbon black (CB), one-dimensional fibrous carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and two-dimensional planar graphene oxide (GO) were explored. To obtain equal hardness, a control indicator in the rubber industry, the amounts of CB, CNTs, and GO were 10.7 vol%, 1.2 vol%, and 1.6 vol%, respectively. J-integral and dynamic fatigue tests revealed that NR filled with CB exhibited the best quasi-static fracture resistance and dynamic crack growth resistance. The much higher hysteresis loss of NR filled with CNTs weakened its fatigue resistance. The planar GO played a limited role in preventing crack growth. Furthermore, digital image correlation revealed that NR filled with CB had the highest strain amplification level and area at the crack tip, which dissipated the most local input energy and then improved the fracture and fatigue performance.     

Compressive-tensile fatigue behavior of cords/rubber composites

Cord/rubber composites are used to build complex structures which may be submitted to cyclic loads, sometimes leading to critical fatigue failure. The focus of this study is to investigate the cyclic compressive/tensile strain behavior of polyester, polyamide and hybrid polyaramid/polyamide cords. For that, the cords were embedded in rubber belts to be used in a specially designed rotating pulley equipment that allows monitoring and controlling of tensile force, frequency and strain level. All fatigue tests were performed using stress-control mode, and tensile residual strength of the cords was measured as a function of material type, number of cycles and compressive/tensile strain level. The results show that compressive and tensile cyclic strains decrease residual properties. Hybrid cords showed higher residual strength than polyester and polyamide cords when subject to high compressive strain or high number of cycles. Moreover, morphological evaluation indicated failure to be associated with microbuckling and extensive fibrillation.