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Rubbers reinforced with rigid particles are used in high-volume applications, including tyres, dampers, belts and hoses1. Many applications require high modulus to resist excessive deformation and high fatigue threshold to resist crack growth under cyclic load. The particles are known to greatly increase modulus but not fatigue threshold. For example, adding carbon particles to natural rubber increases its modulus by one to two orders of magnitude1,2,3, but its fatigue threshold, reinforced or not, has remained approximately 100 J m−2 for decades4,5,6,7. Here we amplify the fatigue threshold of particle-reinforced rubbers by multiscale stress deconcentration. We synthesize a rubber in which highly entangled long polymers strongly adhere with rigid particles. At a crack tip, stress deconcentrates across two length scales: first through polymers and then through particles. This rubber achieves a fatigue threshold of approximately 1,000 J m−2. Mounts and grippers made of this rubber bear high loads and resist crack growth over repeated operation. Multiscale stress deconcentration expands the space of materials properties, opening doors to curtailing polymer pollution and building high-performance soft machines.
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Molecular simulation of subcritical crack growth under dry conditions in a model brittle glass
Subcritical crack growth can occur under a constant applied load below the threshold value for catastrophic failure, also known as static fatigue. Here, we report how a crack grows under a combination of stress-intensity factor (K) and temperature in a model brittle glass using molecular dynamics simulations. The model glass is under dry conditions, thus avoiding the complexity of corrosion chemistry. The crack growth rate is shown to be inconsistent with the commonly used subcritical crack growth model rooted in the transition state theory (TST), in which the applied stress-intensity factor reduces the transition barrier. A new subcritical crack growth model is proposed with a constant barrier and a K-dependent prefactor in TST, representing the size of the region for potential bond breaking. The thermomechanical condition for subcritical crack growth is also mapped in the K-T domain, in between elastic deformation and catastrophic fracture regimes. Finally, we show substantial crack self-healing once the applied load is removed, under the thermodynamic driving force of surface energy reduction. Our findings provide new insights into the mechanochemical coupling during static fatigue and call for experimental investigation of whether the activation energy is K-dependent.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2015557
- PAR ID:
- 10633095
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Institute of Physics
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Applied Physics
- Volume:
- 138
- Issue:
- 9
- ISSN:
- 0021-8979
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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