Survey of the Theory of Rubberlike Elasticity

Abstract

Abstract The problem of rubberlike elasticity has been under intensive investigation, both theoretically and experimentally, for over thirty years. The resulting literature has become so voluminous that adequate coverage, even at the survey level, demands the selection of a small segment of the overall problem. For this reason our review will deal exclusively with the reversible aspects of rubberlike elasticity. Furthermore, the historical development of the theoretical treatment is admirably covered in a number of recent books. Hence, our objective will be to present a fairly detailed and comprehensive survey of the current state of theory of rubberlike elasticity, and to compare this with pertinent experimental observations.