A New Criterion for Rupture Assessment of Rubber-Like Materials under Mode-I Crack Loading: The Effective Stretch Criterion

A new criterion is presented for fracture assessment of rubber-like materials weakened by a mode I crack. The criterion is based on two main assumptions: the existence of a damage zone around the crack tip and the dominant uniaxial nature of the stress field near the crack in rubber-like materials. Considering these key features and employing the concepts of well-known eight-chain model, first, a failure criterion called the "Effective Stretch Criterion" has been proposed. Then, a procedure has been elaborated to calibrate the material parameters in the criterion. The criterion, finally, has been validated by using two sets of experimental data available in the literature.