Abstract: 

The temperature distribution and history in elastomeric structures is important for several reasons. Temperature directly affects the current viscoelastic properties which can impact performance, and it impacts the fracture properties related to fatigue life. Higher temperatures can also accelerate chemical reactions leading to aging of the material, and aging can cause subsequent degradation of mechanical properties.

Coupled workflows for steady-state temperature and stress-strain fields in elastomeric structures are well established. However, many elastomeric structures exhibit transient response due to time varying loading, or other factors. Some elastomeric structures are designed to operate in a transient environment, so the steady-state analysis is neither accurate nor useful. This work presents some recent developments for transient thermomechanical analysis including viscoelastic self-heating and a new exothermic reaction capability to simulate chemical break-down due to high operating temperatures. A developing workflow is presented to simulate the diffusion of air through an elastomeric structure together with the reaction of oxygen to understand the impact of oxidative aging.

Co-simulation with Abaqus and Endurica is used to accomplish these coupled analyses. A new Endurica product, Endurica MP, is introduced to provide the “Multi-Physics” capabilities required for these advanced workflows. Demonstration of the workflows is provided through the analysis of tires and other elastomeric structures.

Presenter: 

Thomas Ebbott Vice President - Endurica Europe Tom received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin with a research topic of fracture and crack growth in polymers. He is a tire industry veteran known for his leadership in driving advances in modeling, simulation and workflows across a global organization. He joined Endurica in 2022 after a 35-year career at Goodyear. While at Goodyear, he held various technical and leadership positions with experience in product development, technology development, modeling and simulation, and materials characterization. He was a major contributor to multiple technical partnerships. He also enjoyed a two-year assignment at Goodyear’s technical center in Luxembourg as the Manager of Computational Mechanics. He has published many technical papers and received numerous awards for his technical achievements.