Why does the degree of cracking of rubber decrease with increasing strain? (An extended note to the paper by A.A. Katbab and G. Scott)

Abstract

Mechanical data by Katbab and Scott have been re-evaluated. It has been demonstrated that an anomalous decrease in the degree of cracking and an increase in the time-to-break with increasing strain reflect the heterogeneous character of degradation of natural rubber in an atmosphere of ozone. Macroscopic effects and structural mechanisms of equivalence between degradation and incision are briefly discussed.