A TEST APPARATUS FOR CHARACTERIZING HIGH STRAIN RATE PROPERTIES OF NATURAL RUBBER

摘要

Elastomers are used to dampen vibrations and minimize structural damage caused by impact loads because of their low modulus, high damping and large extensibility. Applications include isolation bearings, engine mounts and shock pads, where the loads are dynamic in nature. A testing apparatus is developed to obtain the deformation and fracture properties of carbon-black filled natural rubber under impact loading in pure shear. The specimen and the grips are designed to be interchangeable with other existing test machinery such as an MTS servo hydraulic machine. Piezoelectric load cells and a high-speed video camera are used to measure forces and displacements, respectively.