Comparative Analysis of Homogenization Techniques for Interphase Modeling in Elastomer‐Blends
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Rubber materials are nowadays indispensable in many applications, particularly as a key component in tires. The optimization of material properties is a central focus, aiming to create an optimal property profile for the material's intended use. A common method for achieving this is blending rubber components. Often, this results in a heterogeneous microstructure, where the individual phases of the material are separated. Furthermore, an interphase region arises between the phases due to overlapping of the polymer chains and the resulting physical interactions, which has a significant impact on the viscoelastic behavior of the rubber blend. It severely impedes the experimental characterization, in particular Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA) measurements, since the two individual glass transitions of the phases do not allow for a standardized construction of a master curve in the frequency domain. This leads to the conclusion that investigating the viscoelastic material behavior through material modeling and numerical simulations can yield valuable results. With Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) images of microstructures at different blend ratios of the constituents serving as the starting point, the material modeling of a rubber blend will be carried out. Various analytical homogenization methods will be considered for modeling the interphase. Image manipulation of the AFM images will be performed using a Gaussian filter to blur the images and thus adjust the interphase width. In the context of numerical simulation, the viscoelastic material behavior will be investigated in the frequency domain, and the characteristic storage and loss moduli for different rubber morphologies will be determined.
Source: PAMM
DOI: 10.1002/pamm.70043
Authors: Marc Ulrich, Sascha Eisenträger, Daniel Juhre
Institution: Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg
Language: English
Topic: Composite Material Mechanics
Subfield: Mechanics of Materials
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,090
OpenAlex ID: W7117480930