Compressive relaxation of the stress and resistance for carbon nanotube filled silicone rubber composite

The changes in the stress and the electrical resistance of carbon nanotube filled silicone rubber composite during compressive stress relaxation are researched quantitatively. The changing tendency of the electrical resistance is similar to that of the stress. The experimental data of the electrical resistance and the stress over time can be fitted by the spring–dashpot model based on the viscoelastic theory. Both the final relative resistance and the final relative stress increase with the increase of the loading speed and decrease with the increase of the carbon nanotube concentration. Both the resistance relaxation time and the stress relaxation time decrease with the increase of the loading speed. The similarity between the compressive resistance relaxation and the compressive stress relaxation is explained by analyzing the correlation between the changes in the conductive network and the disorientation of the polymer macromolecules.