Numerical Life Prediction Method for Fatigue Failure of Rubber-Like Material Under Repeated Loading Condition

Predicting fatigue life by numerical methods was almost impossible in the field of rubber materials. One of the reasons is that there is not obvious fracture criteria caused by nonstandardization of material and excessively various way of mixing process. But, tearing energy as fracture factor can be applied to a rubber-like material regardless of different types of fillers, relative to other fracture factors and the crack growth process of rubber could be considered as the whole fatigue failure process by the existence of potential defects in industrial rubber components. This characteristic of fatigue failure could make it possible to predict the fatigue life of rubber components in theoretical way. FESEM photographs of the surface of industrial rubber components were analyzed for verifying the existence and distribution of potential defects. For the prediction of fatigue life, theoretical way of evaluating tearing energy for the general shape of test-piece was proposed. Also, algebraic expression for the prediction of fatigue life was derived from the rough cut growth rate equation and verified by comparing with experimental fatigue lives of dumbbell fatigue specimen in various loading condition.