Abstract
The problem of predicting crack type failures in elastomers has been a continuing one. The usual practice has been to use one of the classical failure theories to extrapolate failure data collected from laboratory or scale tests. Just which theory was used generally depended upon the stress state at the point being considered and the previous experience of the analyst. In this study a unifying approach to failure prediction in elastomers based upon principles of fracture mechanics is proposed and experimentally evaluated. The experiments described herein confirm the existence of a characteristic strain energy release rate for cracks propagating through elastomers. The analytics illustrate the use of the numerical stiffness programs to compute the total strain energy in various geometrics with different crack lengths and locations. Taken together, the growth of both cohesive cracks in an elastomer and adhesive cracks along an interface can be predicted. ...
Webb, Leonard Dale (1969). An energy balance method of fracture prediction in elastomers and elastomeric composites. Doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -176157.