Some Unsolved Problems in Rubber Elasticity

We turn now to some features of the elastic response of rubbery materials that are still not fully understood. 

As normally prepared, molecular networks comprise chains of a wide distribution of molecular lengths. Numerically, small chain lengths tend to predominate. The effect of this diversity on the elastic behavior of networks, particularly under large deformations, is not known. A related problem concerns the elasticity of short chains. They are inevitably non-Gaussian in character and the analysis of their conformational statistics is likely to be difficult. Nevertheless, it seems necessary to carry out this analysis to be able to treat real networks in an appropriate way. 

It is also desirable to treat network topology in greater detail that is, to incorporate the functionality of crosslinks, their distribution in space, and loop formation. The effect of mutual interaction between chains in the condensed state appears to be accounted for satisfactorily by the tube model for 

We refer the reader to the classic survey of rubber elasticity by Treloar (1975) and to three recent reviews that give fuller accounts of the molecular theory (Graessley, 2004 Mark and Erman, 1988,1992). The author thanks Mr. R.A. Paden for drawing several of the figures. 

Mechanics of Incremental Deformations. Wiley, New York. 

SOME UNSOLVED PROBLEMS IN RUBBER ELASTICITY 

Statistical Mechanics of Chain Molecules, Wiley-Interscience, New York, 1969. 

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VIII. Some Unsolved Problems in Rubber Elasticity Acknowledgments References... 

VIII. SOME UNSOLVED PROBLEMS IN RUBBER ELASTICITY... 

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