An anisotropic hyper-visco-pseudo-elastic model and explicit stress solutions for fabric reinforced rubber composites

Fabric reinforced rubber composites have some wide applications in aerospace, biomaterial engineering, intelligent soft materials and other fields because of their high specific strength and specific modulus. Their characterization of anisotropy, hysteresis and viscoelasticity is still a challenging problem due to the complicated mechanical model and difficult parameter determination. In this work, an anisotropic hyper-visco-pseudo-elastic model is developed by introducing the Mullins effect, the meso-damage of fiber-matrix interface and rate dependence. Also, the finite increment explicit stress solutions are obtained by means of the discretized convolution integrals, and the uniaxial loading and unloading behaviors of fabric reinforced rubber composites under different strain rates and material orientations are characterized. The good agreement between the experimental and theoretical results shows that the proposed model has great application potential with fewer experiments to fit the material parameters. These results enrich the large deformation theory and extend the classical constitutive models to capture new features of emerging rubber-like composites.

Automated summary

Fabric reinforced rubber composites are widely used in various fields due to their high strength and modulus. However, characterizing their anisotropy, hysteresis, and viscoelasticity remains challenging. In this study, a new anisotropic hyper-visco-pseudo-elastic model is developed by considering the Mullins effect, meso-damage of the fiber-matrix interface, and rate dependence. The model is validated through experimental and theoretical comparisons, demonstrating its potential for practical applications.