Softening of Rubber by Deformation

Abstract It has been known for many years that deformation results in softening of rubber and that the initial stress-strain curve determined during the first deformation is unique and cannot be retraced. Further the effect of repeated deformation is to cause rubber asymptotically to approach a steady state with a constant or equilibrium stress-strain curve. Softening in this way occurs in vulcanizates either with or without fillers although the effect appears to be much more pronounced in vulcanizates containing high proportions of reinforcing fillers. After the hardness test the simple extension stress-strain test is the test most widely used by rubber technologists. The conventional stress-strain curve is obtained on samples which have not been previously deformed and for design purpose the unique value of stiffness given by this curve may be of little significance. Thus it appears that the values of stress—strain properties determined after “conditioning” cycles of deformation would be of more practical use than the unique value obtained in the conventional test. In recent years much interest has been shown in the factors responsible for this softening behavior particularly in regard to the implications of the loss of the stiffening action of reinforcing fillers on the mechanism of reinforcement.