Abstract
A double cantilever sandwich-beam method has been applied to the evaluation of the frequency dependence of dynamic elastic modulus and material loss factor of EPDM rubbers. The flexural vibration of a double cantilever sandwich-beam specimen with an inserted rubber layer was studied using a finite element simulation in combination with the sine-sweep test. Effects of the rubber layer length on the dynamic characteristics were also investigated: reliable values were measured when the length of the inserted rubber layer was larger than and equal to 50% of the effective specimen length. The values were compared with those obtained by the dynamic mechanical analysis and the simple resonant test. Relationships of the dynamic characteristics of rubbers with frequency could be determined using the least square error method.