ABSTRACT
The influence of the ingredients of a rubber compound on its properties is usually diverse and complex. For instance the amount of filler influences the hysteresis, permanent set and softening in a nonlinear way. The effect of changing the compound can be often predicted qualitatively by experience, but making quantitative predictions is difficult. Here, a method is proposed, that provides such predictions based on an abstract micro-structural model of the material. It is demonstrated, that the parameters of the model can be adapted to measurements on a reference material. Moreover, as the model design is based on the micro-structure of the material, a modification of the material can be expressed by an appropriate modification of the model parameters. Using a simulation with modified parameters therefore provides predictions about a modified material. The results are compared with actual measurements on the modified material and demonstrate the success of the method.
