SELECTION OF A HYPER-ELASTIC MATERIAL MODEL – A CASE STUDY FOR A POLYURETHANE COMPONENT

Abstract

THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO SELECT AN APPROPRIATE MATERIAL MODEL FOR THE POLYURETHANE RAIL PAD. IT WAS ASSUMED THAT CONSIDERED MATERIAL IS HYPER-ELASTIC AND SELECTION WAS LIMITED ONLY TO THE MOONEY–RIVLIN MATERIAL MODELS AVAILABLE IN MSC.MARC/MENTAT SYSTEM. SELECTION OF MATERIAL MODEL IS BASED ON THE MOST ACCURATE APPROXIMATION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS. MOREOVER, A CPU TIME, STABILITY OF THE MATERIAL MODEL, AND CONVERGENCE OF THE FE ANALYSES WERE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION. TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ALL THESE FACTORS ALLOWED THE AUTHORS TO CHOOSE THE APPROPRIATE MODEL. CURRENT STUDIES WERE LIMITED TO THE STATIC ANALYSIS WITHOUT CYCLICAL DEFORMATION MODES. REACHED CONCLUSIONS, AS WELL AS OBSERVATIONS DURING CARRIED ANALYSES SHOULD NOT BE GENERALIZED TO THE WHOLE GROUP OF HYPER-ELASTIC MATERIALS, SINCE THEY RELATE TO THE SPECIFIC MATERIAL UNDER CONSIDE­RATION. HOWEVER, THEY MAY BE THE BASIS FOR RESEARCHERS INVOLVED IN THE ANALYSIS OF SUCH TYPE OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS.