Experimental investigations and numerical modeling of incompressible elastomers during non-homogeneous deformations

Three hyperelastic constitutive models, the Arruda and Boyce model, the Yeo h model, and the Ogden model, are used to simulate the response of vinyl el astomers in large, non-homogeneous deformation states. A single uniaxial co mpression test is used to characterize the elastomers to obtain model const ants. Drucker stability is enforced by restriction of the coefficients for the Yeoh and Ogden models to produce physically feasible uniaxial results. The ability of the models to predict the global force versus deformation re sponses and deformed shapes for large deformation shear, tensile deformatio n of a long bar with fixed grips, and inflation of a thin disk is examined. The experiments used in this study are designed to provide known boundary conditions to eliminate ambiguity in the modeling. We demonstrate for the f irst time that each of these models may be sufficiently characterized via a simple, homogeneous compression test to allow accurate predictions of larg e, non-homogeneous deformations involving rotations of the principal stretc h directions.