Cavitation in Model Elastomeric Composites
Abstract
Layers of transparent silicone rubber were bonded between two steel spheres or between two parallel steel cylinders, to make simple mechanical models of particle-filled and fiber reinforced elastomers. When the steel end- pieces were pulled apart, visible cavities appeared suddenly in the rubber layer between them, at well-defined tensile loads and displacements. The critical conditions for cavity formation are shown to be in good agreement with a theoretical criterion for the unbounded elastic expansion of a microscopic precursor void within the rubber: that the local triaxial tensile stress attains of value of 5E/6, where E is Young's modulus for the rubber. When the rubber layer was extremely thin, however, less than about 5 per cent of the steel end piece diameter, then the stress required to form a cavity was greater than this, and it increased rapidly as the rubber thickness was reduced further.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA187401
Entities
People
- Alan Neville Gent
- K. Cho
Organizations
- University of Akron