Rate-dependent failure mechanism of elastomers

The paper presents the mechanical response up to final failure, of pre-cracked silicone sheets under different strain rates. Experimental tests (Fig. 1) are conducted and the obtained outcomes presented and discussed. A simple statistically-based theoretical model for the description of the end-to-end vector distribution of the polymeric chains (Fig. 2), combined with a cavitation-based failure criterion, is formulated to describe the observed time-dependent mechanical response. Fig. 1. Experimental tensile test at different strain rates: ɛ˙y1>ɛ˙y2>ɛ˙y3 (1st, 2nd and 3rd lines, respectively). Fig. 2. Schematic of the stretch applied to a polymeric chain (a). Evolution of the end-to-end probability distribution function ϕ(r, t) for a polymeric material under stretch followed by relaxation (b).186