Mullins' effect in thermoplastic elastomers: Experiments and modeling

Observations are reported on carbon black-reinforced thermoplastic elastomer in uniaxial cyclic tensile tests with various maximum strains at room temperature. A constitutive model is derived for a polymer composite that accounts for its viscoplastic response and damage. Adjustable parameters in the stress-strain relations are found by fitting the experimental data. It is shown that the model correctly reproduce characteristic features of the Mullins effect. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.