Multiscale experimental study of fatigue crack growth in natural rubber
This PhD thesis aims to experimentally characterize the fatigue crack growth behaviour in natural rubber, and is particularly interested in the neighbourhood of the crack tip where the well-known phenomenon of strain-induced crystallization takes place due to the large strains in this region. The final goal is therefore to explain the outstanding fatigue properties and crack growth resistance of natural rubber which are recognized for a while in literature. On the one hand, fatigue crack growth rate tests are performed to evaluate the influence of various parameters such as the type of elastomer, the carbon-black content and non-relaxing conditions, on the fatigue crack growth resistance. On the other hand, various experimental methods are used at different scales to characterize the fatigue crack tip neighbourhood. First of all, a synchrotron radiation allows us to measure quantitatively the strain-induced crystallization phenomenon at the crack tip using the wide-angle X ray diffraction method. Moreover, those results are related to strain field measurements obtained by digital image correlation. Besides, an original fatigue experiment performed in a scanning electron microscope enables us to observe in situ the fatigue crack growth mechanisms at the crack tip. Finally, all these experimental results, compared to macroscopic measurements of fatigue crack growth rates in our samples, lead to a discussion about the influence that has the strain-induced crystallization phenomenon on the resistance to fatigue crack growth in natural rubber.