Fracture Energy of Elastomers in Mode I (Cleavage) and Mode III (Lateral Shear)

Abstract

Abstract Attention has been drawn here to three different reasons why measurements of fracture energy by different methods may not agree: (1) When the test involves propagation of a tear by stored strain energy, as in the method shown in Figure 1, the energy available to cause rupture will be less than that supplied, because of dissipation within the elastomer. Calculation of the fracture energy on the basis of input energy would then lead to an overestimate, by about 100 per cent or more for typical filled elastomers. (2) As shown in Figures 4a and 5, the tear path is sometimes wider than the thickness of the test sheet. In consequence, fracture energy calculated from the sheet thickness would be too large, by about 40 per cent in the cases considered here. (3) Even when allowance is made for the true width of the tear path, measurements of fracture energy in shear (Mode III) are about 50 per cent larger than in cleavage (Mode I). This is attributed to frictional work expended in sliding the rough torn surfaces past each other.