A Constitutive Model in Finite Viscoelasticity of Particle-reinforced Rubbers

Two series of tensile relaxation tests are performed on natural rubber filled with high abrasion furnace black. To fit observations, constitutive equations are derived for the nonlinear viscoelastic behavior of a particle-reinforced elastomer. A filled rubber is modeled as a composite medium, where inclusions with low concentrations of junctions are randomly distributed in the host matrix. The inclusions are treated as equivalent networks of macromolecules, where strands can separate from temporary junctions as they are thermally agitated. The bulk medium is thought of as a permanent network of chains. Unlike conventional concepts of transient networks, the concentration of strands in inclusions is assumed to be affected by mechanical factors: under active loading, inter-chain interactions weaken and some strands that were prevented from detachment from their junctions in a stress-free compound become free to separate from the junctions in a deformed medium. Unloading strengthens interactions between macromolecules, which results in an increase in the number of permanent strands. By using the laws of thermodynamics, stress–strain relations for a particle-reinforced rubber are developed. Adjustable parameters in the constitutive equations are found by fitting the experimental data. It is demonstrated that mechanical pre-loading and annealing of specimens at an elevated temperature noticeably affect concentrations of inclusions with various activation energies for rearrangement of strands.     

A constitutive model for the Mullins effect with changes in material symmetry

When an unfilled or particle reinforced rubber is subjected to cyclic loading–unloading with a fixed amplitude from its natural reference configuration, the stress required on reloading is less than on the initial loading for a deformation up to the maximum value of the stretches achieved. The stress differences in successive loading cycles are largest during the first and second cycles and become negligible after about 4–6 cycles. This phenomenon is known as the Mullins effect. In this paper new experimental data are reported showing the change in material symmetry for an initially undamaged and isotropic material subjected to uniaxial and biaxial extension tests. The effect of preconditioning in one direction on the mechanical response when loaded in a perpendicular direction is discussed. A simple phenomenological model is derived to account for stress softening and changes in material symmetry. The formulation is based on the theory of pseudo-elasticity, the basis of which is the inclusion of scalar variables in the energy function. When active, these variables modify the form of the energy function during the deformation process and therefore change the material response. The general formulation is specialized to pure homogeneous deformation in order to fit the new data. The numerical results are in very good agreement with the experimental data.     

A variational formulation for magneto-active elastomers based on a total energy function

This paper focuses on a variational formulation for a magneto-active elastomer completely surrounded by free space. The free space is considered infinite, with an applied magnetic field or magnetic induction vector as the far field boundary conditions. In addition to the effect of the Maxwell stress exterior to the body on its surface, a mechanical load is applied over a portion of the surface, but no displacement constraints are considered. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Variational treatment of electrostatic interaction force in atomic force microscopy

In this paper we introduce the mathematical model for the electrostatic interaction force between an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip and a sample surface. We formulate the electrostatic potential problem in Sobolev spaces and find the corresponding weak solution in terms of the integral potential, which can be approximated numerically by generalized Fourier series and used to find the interaction force between an AFM tip and a sample surface. The formulation of the problem in a weak (Sobolev) space setting allows us to determine the force for AFM tips of arbitrary shape. Efficiency of the method is illustrated using numerical examples for the spherical and tetrahedral AFM tips.     

Stress–strain relations in finite viscoelastoplasticity of rigid-rod networks: applications to the Mullins effect

Received December 12, 2000 / Published online: June 1, 2001     

Wrinkling of anisotropic soft membranes

We study the mechanical response of a fiber-reinforced non-linearly elastic thin-walled circular tube subject to torsional twist. If as a result of the applied deformation compressive stresses arise, wrinkling is taken into account. We investigate this phenomenon using the general tension-field theory, extended to account for the presence of oriented reinforcing fibers. The material under consideration is neo-Hookean with an additional term that accounts for the existence of the directional reinforcements. We first consider membranes characterized by uniaxial reinforcement and then extend our investigation to anisotropic materials characterized by two families of fibers in two preferred directions.     

Numerical solution of finite geometry boundary-value problems in nonlinear magnetoelasticity

This paper provides examples of the numerical solution of boundary-value problems in nonlinear magnetoelasticity involving finite geometry based on the theoretical framework developed by Dorfmann and co-workers. Specifically, using a prototype constitutive model for isotropic magnetoelasticity, we consider two two-dimensional problems for a block with rectangular cross-section and of infinite extent in the third direction. In the first problem the deformation induced in the block by the application of a uniform magnetic field far from the block and normal to its larger faces without mechanical load is examined, while in the second problem the same magnetic field is applied in conjunction with a shearing deformation produced by in-plane shear stresses on its larger faces. For each problem the distribution of the magnetic field throughout the block and the surrounding space is illustrated graphically, along with the corresponding deformation of the block. The rapidly (in space) changing magnitude of the magnetic field in the neighbourhood of the faces of the block is highlighted.