ABSTRACT
The mechanical behaviour of a filled elastomer composed mainly of natural rubber reinforced by carbon black is investigated in the moderate elongation range, 0.7 < λ < 1.5 in uniaxial tension and compression and |γ| < 1 in shear. The model is developed within a generalized self-consistent scheme. This chapter presents a micromechanical model for the moderate strain mechanical behaviour based on a self-consistent homogenization technique. To account more precisely of the geometrical phase distribution, a generalized self-consistent scheme was developed with a composite sphere constituted of N phases embedded in the homogeneous equivalent medium (HEM). Analytical expressions of the HEM elastic tensor components are then derived from elastic modulus of the phases as well as the volume fractions, by solving a second-order equation. Axisymmetric elements with quadratic interpolation are used and calculations are performed with boundary conditions leading to a homogeneous strain state for the HEM.
