Fatigue Characterization of a Thermoplastic Elastomer

The capacity to resist crack development in an olefinic thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) has been measured via a set of experiments that quantify (1) the fracture mechanical strength of the material under quasi-static loads, (2) the rate of growth of a crack under dynamic solicitations as a function of the energy release rate, and (3) the size of crack precursors in new material. Because the subject TPE exhibited strong inelasticity in the stress–strain response, it also was necessary to characterize the development of an inelastic set under cyclic loading as a function of the applied strain. Combined with the multiplicative kinematic split, this additional measurement yields the elastic part of the strain. It also enables engineering calculations to be made of fatigue life.