Strain energy-based rubber fatigue life prediction under the influence of temperature

Abstract

Aiming at the problem of the fatigue life prediction of rubber under the influence of temperature, the effects of thermal ageing and fatigue damage on the fatigue life of rubber under the influence of temperature are analysed and a fatigue life prediction model is established by selecting strain energy as a fatigue damage parameter based on the uniaxial tensile data of dumbbell rubber specimens at different temperatures. Firstly, the strain energy of rubber specimens at different temperatures is obtained by the Yeoh model, and the relationship between it and rubber fatigue life at different temperatures is fitted by the least-square method. Secondly, the function formula of temperature and model parameters is obtained by the least-square polynomial fitting. Finally, another group of rubber specimens is tested at different temperatures and the fatigue characteristics are predicted by using the proposed prediction model under the influence of temperature, and the results are compared with the measured results. The results show that the predicted value of the model is consistent with the measured value and the average relative error is less than 22.26%, which indicates that the model can predict the fatigue life of this kind of rubber specimen at different temperatures. What's more, the model proposed in this study has a high practical value in engineering practice of rubber fatigue life prediction at different temperatures.