Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award - Behavior of Rubber: Applications of Stress-strain Models

Many publications have focussed on the challenge of formulating a mathematical description of the stress-strain behaviour of rubber, resulting in a bewildering choice of models. There is an equally diverse range of problems for which a good model would be useful. Such needs might be for quantitative design of elastic joints, of vibration isolation mounts or of shock isolation mounts, or for developing quantitative theories of characteristics such as strength, friction or abrasion resistance.

The most appropriate choice of model depends on the application, a matter that is often not addressed in the presentation of a particular model.

An educational overview will be presented aiming to identify the families of models, and to suggest how key elements – such as rate and temperature dependence - of these families might be captured in a single model to provide a unified description of rubber behavior. The emphasis will be on capturing the features essential for providing a useful description for particular applications, and on connecting the parameters in the model to the composition of the rubber.