Computational evaluation of strain-rate-dependent deformation behavior of rubber and carbon-black-filled rubber under monotonic and cyclic straining

The molecular chain network model for elastic deformation behavior and the reptation theory for viscoelastic deformation behavior are used to derive a constitutive equation for rubber. The new eight-chain-like model contains eight standard models consisting of Langevin springs and dashpot to account for the interaction of chains with their surroundings. Monotonic and cyclic deformation behavior of rubber with relaxation under different strain rates have been examined. The results reveal the roles of the individual springs and dashpot, and the strain rate dependence of materials in the monotonic and cyclic deformation behaviors, particularly softening and hysteresis loss, that is, the Mullins effect, occurring in stress–stretch curves under cyclic deformation processes. The validity of the results is checked through comparison with experimental results. The deformation behaviors of a plane strain rubber unit cell containing carbon-black (CB) under monotonic and cyclic straining are investigated by computational simulation using the proposed constitutive equation and homogenization method. The results reveal the substantial enhancement of the resistance of CB-filled rubber to macroscopic deformation, which is caused by the marked orientation hardening due to the highly localized deformation of rubber. The role of strain rate sensitivity on such characteristic deformation behaviors as increases in the resistance to deformation, hysteresis loss, and the effects of the distribution morphology and the volume fraction of CB on the deformation behavior is clarified. The increases in the volume fraction and in the aggregation of the distribution of CB substantially raise the resistance to deformation and hysteresis loss.