Size-dependent fracture in elastomers: Experiments and continuum modeling

Elastomeric materials display a complicated set of stretchability and fracture properties that strongly depend on the flaw size, which has long been of interest to engineers and material scientists. Here, we combine experiments and numerical simulations for a comprehensive understanding of the nonlocal, size-dependent features of fracture in elastomers. We quantitatively describe the size-dependent fracture behavior using a nonlocal continuum model. The key ingredient of the nonlocal model is the use of an intrinsic length scale associated with a finite fracture process zone, which is inferred from experiments. Of particular importance, our experimental and theoretical approach passes the critical set of capturing the key aspects of the size-dependent fracture in elastomers. Applications to a wide range of synthetic elastomers that exhibit moderate (∼100%) to extreme stretchability (∼1000%) are presented, which is also used to demonstrate the applicability of our approach in elastomeric specimens with complex geometries.