Rubber model???

[spider]

Dear Dr. Bergstrom:

I'm a student doing project using FEA model but i not familiar with FEA software and i new in this field too. I'm using Strand7 software to model a conveyor belt in order to determine the deflection of the belt. Material like rubber and steelcord is used in my project. I have a few questions need your advices:

1)How to determine the parameters for rubber (odgen) model?
2)By using nonlinear static anlaysis for rubber material, how to determine that model have converged (or model correctly) as the nonlinear anlaysis is sensitive to small load increment?

Thanks for your help hope that you don't find these questions too boring!

Best regards,
SY

[Jorgen]

Hello SY,

Here are my comments:
(1) I would recommend that you use a different model than the Ogden model. The Ogden model is very powerful but requires very careful calibration. Instead I suggest that you use the Neo-Hookean model. The Neo-Hookean model is easy to use and robust; it only requires a shear modulus and a bulk modulus.

(2) I have not used "strand7" so I don't have any specific advice. In general, you should not have to worry about convergence, that is up to the FE software to figure out.

Best of luck,
Jorgen