Four Non-Gaussian-Type Tube Models of Rubber-Like Elasticity: Analysis of Tensile Data for Lightly and Highly Carbon-Black Filled Styrene-Butadiene Elastomers

Abstract

Recently, using a new, non-Gaussian, tube-based entropy model for active-filler filled elastic networks with the polymer phase influenced by the filler loading, proposed by the author, a data analysis of literature tensile data for carbon-black filled styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) networks of different loadings was carried out; the data-fittability and the particular influence of the filler loading were examined in detail. In this report, the data-fitting performances of three other non-filled network models, all tube-based and finite chain extensible, along with a common strain-amplification factor that is necessary to extend them to the analysis of the filled networks, as well as the model which was employed in the above study were compared. As tensile data for this analysis, those observed for the same unfilled SBR, the same lightly loaded SBR and one of the same highly loaded SBR networks, as in our previous study, were chosen.