Visco-Hyper-Pseudo-Elastic Characterization of a Fluoro-Silicone Rubber

The use of rubber like materials has a number
applications, from automotive to aeronautics and many
other fields particular, as they are often used to make gaskets,
hoses, separation membranes, vibration absorbers, etc.
In order to optimize and enhance the performances of a
rubber component, a FEA is frequently required. Although
many models are available to describe the complex material
behavior of rubber, companies are more often interested
in those ones which are already available in commercial
FEA packages. Therefore the key point for a successful
analysis becomes the correct identification of the constitutive
parameters. In this paper, a complete characterization
of the visco-hyper-pseudo-elastic behavior of a commercial
fluoro-silicone rubber is discussed. The procedure allows
to completely describe the material mechanical properties
in non stationary conditions. The hyper and pseudo-elastic
behavior is identified using the virtual fields method and
full-field measurements on cruciform specimens. Then a
compressive test is performed to add the visco-elasticity.
Both the identification procedures and validation tests are
presented in the paper. All the used theoretical models are
already implemented in the major commercial FE codes.