Optimizing Rubber Products for the Automotive Industry Via Characterization of Compounds and Computer Modeling

Trends in the automotive industry to develop better products, faster and at a lower cost create a need for simulation rather than testing prototypes. Modeling requires a laboratory to characterize rubber and high-end software to carry out nonlinear analysis typical to rubber applications (contact, large deformations and hyper-elastic material response).

This paper describes some tests on rubber necessary to building quasi-static models. It also presents several analytical studies WIDL completed on behalf of molders of rubber components for the automotive industry. Computer predictions were within 5% of test results in most cases presented.