Elastocaloric modeling of natural rubber

The elastocaloric effect is defined as the entropy change of a material when subjected to an external mechanical excitation. This article describes the elastocaloric effect of a natural rubber. Theoretical analysis leads to the global description of the material's temperature differential equation under mechanical stress. Based on energetic considerations, the temperature variations of the rubber sample can then be described as a function of the strain and of the supplied external thermal power. An experimental setup comprising a strain-controlled actuator coupled with a thermal measurement system has been developed in order to verify the accuracy of the proposed model. Finally a discussion on the possibility of using natural rubber for mechanical cooling is detailed. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.