TY - GEN
T1 - Testing and simulation of the influence of glass spheres on fatigue life and dynamic crack propagation of elastomers
AU - Abraham, F.
AU - Clauß, G.
AU - Alshuth, T.
PY - 2005
Y1 - 2005
N2 - Addition of reinforcing fillers is known to improve the mechanical behaviour of rubbers. Well known effects are better tensile properties as well as an increase in fatigue life and crack growth resistance. Depending on the degree of dispersion fillers can, however, form agglomerates on a μm-scale which act as flaws reducing the fatigue life. Within the scope of a previous research on filled EPDM and SBR both materials changed their ranking when comparing the results of fatigue to failure and crack propagation experiments and fracture mechanics calculations of fatigue life based on the crack propagation behaviour resulted in a wrong ranking of the materials. This discrepancy can be solved only by different assumptions concerning the size of flaws within the two materials. The objective of the research presented in this paper is to investigate the influence of glass spheres as model flaws on the fatigue to failure and crack propagation properties of rubber materials. Glass spheres of different sizes were added to an EPDM material for this purpose. The glass spheres reduced the fatigue to failure properties of the EPDM material considerably depending on the size of the spheres. Crack propagation properties were influenced to a minor extent only. Fracture mechanics calculations with known initial flaw (glass sphere) sizes resulted in good to excellent correlation with fatigue to failure experiments.
AB - Addition of reinforcing fillers is known to improve the mechanical behaviour of rubbers. Well known effects are better tensile properties as well as an increase in fatigue life and crack growth resistance. Depending on the degree of dispersion fillers can, however, form agglomerates on a μm-scale which act as flaws reducing the fatigue life. Within the scope of a previous research on filled EPDM and SBR both materials changed their ranking when comparing the results of fatigue to failure and crack propagation experiments and fracture mechanics calculations of fatigue life based on the crack propagation behaviour resulted in a wrong ranking of the materials. This discrepancy can be solved only by different assumptions concerning the size of flaws within the two materials. The objective of the research presented in this paper is to investigate the influence of glass spheres as model flaws on the fatigue to failure and crack propagation properties of rubber materials. Glass spheres of different sizes were added to an EPDM material for this purpose. The glass spheres reduced the fatigue to failure properties of the EPDM material considerably depending on the size of the spheres. Crack propagation properties were influenced to a minor extent only. Fracture mechanics calculations with known initial flaw (glass sphere) sizes resulted in good to excellent correlation with fatigue to failure experiments.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84856659844&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84856659844
SN - 0415383463
SN - 9780415383462
T3 - Constitutive Models for Rubber IV - Proceedings of the 4th European Conference for Constitutive Models for Rubber, ECCMR 2005
SP - 71
EP - 76
BT - Constitutive Models for Rubber IV - Proceedings of the 4th European Conference for Constitutive Models for Rubber, ECCMR 2005
T2 - 4th European Conference for Constitutive Models for Rubber, ECCMR 2005
Y2 - 27 June 2005 through 29 June 2005
ER -