A new generalized fracture criterion of elastomers under quasi-static plane stress loadings

The aim of this paper is to propose a new fracture criterion of rubber-like materials under plane stress loading. Our experimental data already published [A. Hamdi, M. Naït Abdelaziz, N. Aït Hocine, P. Heuillet, N. Benseddiq, Fracture criteria of rubber like-materials under plane stress conditions. Polym. Test. 25(9) (2006) 994–1005] are herein completed by results obtained from pure shear tests and then further analysed. In this analysis, we used a theoretical approach based on a reference axis change principle, introduced earlier by Nevière et al. [A strain based design criterion for solid propellant rocket motors. Proceedings OTAN, Symposium on Combat Survivability of Air, Sea and Land Vehicles, Alborg, Denmark, 2002, pp. 23–26] for the case of solid propellant materials. Logarithmic extensions evaluated in a specific coordinates system were introduced in the analytical development, which leads to identifying a relevant rubber fracture criterion. The ultimate experimental extensions were compared with the predictions of this criterion and good agreement was observed.