Fatigue of rubber and plastic materials

Fatigue of rubber and plastic materials

This paper discusses the different models used for the prediction of fatigue life in rubber and plastic materials, providing an overview of:

  • Crack nucleation
  • Crack growth test approaches.

The commonly used International standard methods for rubber and plastic materials are also identified for reference. The standard methods are generally limited to tests under laboratory conditions and therefore custom material or product tests are often required to meet business needs.

Material properties provided on data sheets... tend to be based on the short term or instantaneous behavior of the material, the big question is, how will the component perform over 10 to 20 year lifespan and beyond?

The generation of long-term data is particularly important for polymeric materials as their properties are not only time and temperature dependent but can be significantly affected by the fluids they come into contact with.

Smithers has a wealth of experience in generating fatigue data. Our comprehensive UK laboratories are UKAS accredited to ISO 17025.

Find out more about our fatigue testing services.

Download the white paper below:

Smithers-Fatigue-of-Rubber-and-Plastic-Materials-White-Paper

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