Viscoplasticity of elastomeric materials: Experimental facts and constitutive modelling (Q5946993)

This paper is a report on experimental results which motivate the formulation of constitutive models of viscoplasticity or viscoelasticity. A series of experiments (tension, torsion and combinations of both) was carried out on cylindrical bars made of a carbon-black filled rubber mixture. In addition to a pronounced nonlinear rate-dependence, relaxation and viscosity properties are observed as being influenced by process histories. The behaviour of elastomeric materials is modelled on the basis of free energy function and evolution equations for additional internal variables. The constitutive equations are formulated for isothermal processes in a thermodynamically consistent manner. Particular attention is focused on nonlinear rate-dependence as well as on process-dependent relaxation properties. The type of constitutive model depends on the size of equilibrium hysteresis. If the effects of equilibrium hysteresis are recognized to be large enough, the theory of viscoplasticity applies. If, on the other hand, the equilibrium hysteresis appears to be negligible, a viscoelasticity theory is sufficient. In order to describe the physical foundation of the constitutive model without tensor formalism, the general structure of the constitutive model is first explained for uniaxial case. After this, a three-dimensional formulation of the model is straight-forward, if the concept of dual variables is applied. In the present case, the experiments suggest that the equilibrium hysteresis is relatively small. Numerical simulations on the basis of identified material parameters show that the proposed constitutive model is able to represent the main elastic and inelastic phenomena.