Numerical Investigations into Dynamic Loading of Rubber Compound

The present paper analyses the heat generation build-up in silicone rubber samples when subjected to dynamic cyclic loading. Material properties of the rubber were determined through thermal and mechanical experimental testing. These properties are necessary to set up the computational model. The model includes a fully coupled transient nonlinear thermo-mechanical finite element analysis. In order to validate this approach, numerical results are compared with those gathered experimentally. The numerical model developed and validated could be used to simulate various industrial applications, involving rubber parts, for efficient and sustainable design.