Experimental investigation on high strain rate tensile behaviors of steel cord–rubber composite

High strain rate tensile tests of steel cord–rubber composite with different cord orientations have been performed on a servo-hydraulic testing machine. Two types of steel cord arrangement reinforcing to the same rubber material have been studied. Material properties and damage behaviors were identified. Damage mechanisms were studied for range of the strain rates going from 3.3 × 10−3 to 131 s−1. The effect of strain rate revealed tendencies of tensile fracture properties on the steel cord–rubber composites. The onset and the propagation of damage such as interfacial debonding were observed using high speed camera in order to understand damage mechanisms. The failure modes were found to be dependent on the cord orientations inducing particularly tensile fracture properties.