Dynamic Characterization of an Elastomeric Component under Intermediate Strain Rates

This work presents the dynamic characterization of an elastomeric component under intermediate strain rates. The characterization is focused in the nonlinear material's dynamic behavior, with particular attention to the influence of viscoelastic properties on the material's response. A wide experimental campaign was performed. It started with a set of tests devoted to investigate the influence of the excitation frequency on the material's mean stress for fixed strains. The material was also tested under different load conditions. The influence of the displacement and temperature was also studied. Different test modes of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) were used. The collected data has been used for direct analysis and it will be used as an input for constitutive models of the material. From the analysis it was found that there is an interval of temperatures in which the material under study is highly dependent to the temperature itself. The influence of the other parameters is also shown. This characterization intends to provide the required information for a proper design of rubber mounts.