Abstract
Keywords:
Fatigue Life Prediction, Natural Rubber, Finite Element Analysis, Cycle Counting, Random Loading
Abstract
Fatigue tests of an automotive rubber component made of natural rubber under random loading were performed. The transmission load history of SAE as random loading tests was used to perform the fatigue test. In order to develop an appropriate fatigue damage parameter of the rubber material, displacement-controlled fatigue tests were conducted at different levels. It was shown that the maximum Green-Lagrange strain was proper damage parameters. A fatigue life curve of the natural rubber represented by the maximum Green-Lagrange strain was determined from the non-linear finite element analysis and displacement-controlled fatigue test of the fatigue specimen. Signal processing of loading waveform by racetrack and the simplified Rainflow cycle counting were performed. The Miner's rule, modified Miner's rule and slope modified model as damage models were considered. When the gate value is 40%, predicted fatigue lives of the rubber component agreed fairly well with the experimental fatigue lives within a factor of two.