Thermomechanical Analysis of the Singular Behavior of Rubber: Entropic Elasticity, Reinforcement by Fillers, Strain-Induced Crystallization and the Mullins Effect

This paper deals with the calorimetric effects accompanying the deformation of rubbers. For this purpose, temperature variations are measured during the mechanical tests by means of infrared thermography. The heat sources produced or absorbed by the material due to deformation processes are deduced from the temperature variations by using the heat diffusion equation. The calorimetric signatures of the most important effects in rubber deformation, i.e. entropic elasticity, reinforcement by fillers, strain-induced crystallization and the Mullins effect, have been characterized. These results bring information of importance for the understanding and the modeling of physical phenomena involved in the rubber deformation.