Thermo-mechanical coupling analysis of edge-cracked rubber specimen focusing on the crack tip: Experimental observation and numerical simulation

The fatigue performance of rubber composite cannot be ignored in the field of engineering. Fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) test by using a planar tensile specimen with a crack or cracks is often used for rubber fatigue characterization. Thermo-mechanical coupling characteristics of rubber composite under dynamic loading are significant and need to be considered. In our work, an interesting experimental phenomenon was observed during rubber FCGR test. The temperature around crack tip region is the highest at the beginning, and then the high temperature region shifts from the crack tip to the central region of the planar tensile specimen, and finally a steady-state temperature distribution is achieved. To explain such observation, a thermo-mechanical coupling method based on finite element analysis (FEA) for the edge-cracked rubber specimen was established. The simulation result was consistent with the experimental observation, and can explain the heat build-up phenomenon of the edge-cracked rubber well.