ABSTRACT
An approach to determining local elongations in stretched filled rubbers is proposed. The structural-mechanical properties of stretched filled Styrene-Butadiene Rubbers (SBR) surface are investigated by means of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Finite Element Modelling (FEM) is used to simulate indentation of an AFM-probe into an unfilled elastomer stretched to a certain length. Comparison of the FEM and AFM results makes it possible to calculate the local elongation ratio of the elastomer in the gaps between filler inclusions of macroscopically stretched sample. The obtained results show that the local elongation ratio can be larger than the macroscopic one. Analysis also revealed the areas where the matrix is surrounded by filler inclusions and remains almost undeformed.
