*The present work is dealing with the softening effect of elastomers during repeating uniaxial tension, observed by performing several experimental tests. A rubber is subjected to repeated uniaxial tension, where the primary loading from its initial position, follows unloading and reloading after. It is noticed that the stress required on reloading is less than the previous loading for the same stretch level, reached on the first loading. This stress softening is significant when reloading follows the virgin loading. It is shown that the magnitude of stress softening is related to the maximum stretch that elastomers achieve on every cycle. For researching the above phenomenon, four different experimental tests were performed of different stretch level. In every test, four cycles of simple tension were performed until the desired stretch was reached. It is expected, several tests of same conditions to provide almost same results. Although, differences of stress requirement are obtained, when multiple cycling tests of the same stretch were performed. For three different experimental tests of same stretch, huge differences were reported in each cycle of loading-relaxation-reloading. Moreover, this phenomenon was more obvious during stress relaxation.*


Experimental Study of Mullins Effect in Natural Rubber for Different Stretch Conditions

Division / Sponsors: 
Design Engineering Division and Computers & Information In Engineering Division


Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/IDETC-CIE/IDETC-CIE2020/volume/83907

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