Mullins’ effect in thermoplastic elastomers: Experiments and modeling

Observations are reported on carbon black-reinforced thermoplastic elastomer in uniaxial cyclic tensile tests with various maximum strains at room temperature. A constitutive model is derived for a polymer composite that accounts for its viscoplastic response and damage. Adjustable parameters in the stress–strain relations are found by fitting the experimental data. It is shown that the model correctly reproduce characteristic features of the Mullins effect.