ABSTRACT
Filled elastomers are increasingly important industrial materials because of their unique flexibility and damping properties, and are used in a range of applications such as seals, dampers, transmission belts and automotive tyres. They exhibit a range of complex phenomena when subjected to repeated loadings: (1) the stress-softening phenomenon known as the Mullins effect (Mullins & Tobin 1957); (2) complex pre-conditioning dependent viscoelasticity; and (3) a small degree of permanent set.
