Modeling Approach to Capture Hyperelasticity and Temporary Bonds in Soft Polymer Networks

Hyperelastic models developed by Gent, Ogden, and Dobrynin are modified to include a strain rate-dependent element. This strain rate dependence accounts for the breaking of temporary bonds in materials as opposed to the stretching of polymer chains. Accounting for the strain rate dependence in a material’s mechanical response gives the ability to extract the modulus due to temporary and permanent bonds, strain hardening, and the relaxation time of dynamic materials. These modified models were tested against a wide range of elastomeric materials. The models were applicable across many network polymers, showing clear effects of temporary bonds in the material. Template spreadsheets for the developed models will be publicly and freely available, facilitating the application of these models to a range of complex soft materials.