Abstract
The tearing energy of rubber vulcanizates is calculated by the virtual crack extension method using isoparametric finite elements, which are formulated based on a variation of geometry mapping. The large strain eight-node plane-stress isoparametric finite element is formulated based on total Lagrangian description and incremental formulation. The critical tearing energy is used as the fracture criterion to predict the critical values of stress or stretch for crack growth. To illustrate the accuracy and value of the present formulation and computer code, examples of a single edge crack specimen and a pure shear crack specimen, which are commonly used in fatigue and fracture studies of rubber, were studied. The results obtained are compared with alternative solutions and experimental data whenever available, and good agreement was found.
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