A constitutive equation for the Mullins effect in stress controlled uniaxial extension experiments

Abstract

A one-dimensional constitutive equation for the Mullins effect in rubberlike materials, which is motivated by the two phase microstructural material model proposed by Mullins and Tobin [I], is developed in [2]. The constitutive equation is used in [2] to predict the effect of stress softening on the small transverse vibration of a rubber string loaded in uniaxial extension. The two functions which comprise the constitutive equation were assumed to be monotone, but no further analysis of the actual nature of these functions was necessary.

In this paper, we examine more closely how the results of a stress controlled uniaxial extension experiment can be used to gain insight into the specific nature of the microstructural strain and the strain amplification functions which comprise the constitutive equation. We examine experimental representations of the two functions which are independent of any special microstructural interpretations. Stress controlled uniaxial extension experiments with buna-n, neoprene, and silicone rubber cords are examined. We demonstrate how the experimental data can be applied to yield representations of the functions of interest to within a multiplicative constant; but no attempt is made to find specific analytical representations of these functions. For buna-n and neoprene samples, we observe behavior consistent with our monotone assumptions, while anomalous behavior is observed with silicone rubber.