Life Time Prediction in Polychloroprene Center Bearings Rubber Cushion Through Lab Tests and FE Analysis Considering Temperature Effects

The knowledge of mechanical behaviour of material is vital for durability prediction and attending initial project requirements. Through the experimental evaluations is possible to measure this behaviour and use it as input in numerical simulations. Temperature changes considerably static and dynamic mechanical properties of materials, particularly in elastomers. This study was motivated to predict the durability under several working temperatures of center bearings rubber cushion of driveshafts that needs to achieve prespecified stiffness and durability parameters. Standardized specimens were tested in fatigue for experimental investigation of the rubber compound. Durability tests were performed in the final product sample and compared with tests performed in standardized specimens. It was concluded that this approach produces accurate results for fatigue predictions and provided useful equations for practical design applications and reducing product validation time.