A literature survey on fatigue analysis approaches for rubber

Rubber components subjected to fluctuating loads often fail due to the nucleation and growth of defects or cracks. The prevention V of such failures depends upon an understanding of the mechanics underlying the failure process. This paper reviews analysis approaches that are currently available for predicting fatigue life in rubber. Both crack nucleation and crack growth approaches are considered. A discussion of each approach's strengths and limitations, and examples of how these approaches have been applied in engineering analysis are presented. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.