On the response of rubbers at high strain rates—I. Simple waves

In this series of papers, we examine the propagation of waves of finite deformation in rubbers through experiments and analysis; in the present paper, Part I, attention is focused on the propagation of one-dimensional waves in strips of natural, latex and synthetic, nitrile rubber. Tensile wave propagation experiments were conducted at high strain rates by holding one end fixed and displacing the other end at a constant velocity. A high-speed video camera was used to monitor the motion and to determine the evolution of strain and particle velocity in rubber strips. Analysis of the response through the theory of finite waves indicated a need for an appropriate constitutive model for rubber; by quantitative matching between the experimental observations and analytical predictions, an appropriate instantaneous elastic response for the rubbers was obtained. This matching process suggested that a simple power-law constitutive model was capable of representing the high strain-rate response for both rubbers used.