Modeling deformation and failure of elastomers at high strain rates

In this paper we develop a new constitutive model to describe the viscoelastic response of elastomers subjected to high strain rates. The key and original feature of the model is that it takes into account the failure of the material using an energy limiter. We calibrate the constitutive model for various strain rates using the experimental data reported by Hoo Fatt and Ouyang (2008) and show the capacity of the proposed formulation to describe the rate-dependent behavior of styrene butadiene rubber. In addition, we implement the model into ABAQUS/Explicit using a simple scheme for the temporal integration of the constitutive equations. Finally, we show sample numerical simulations to illustrate the joint performance of the constitutive model and the integration algorithm.