Abstract: For rubber pure shear specimen, the effects of neglecting deviation from real pure shear in the end regions are evaluated by using non-linear finite element analysis. The results show that the deformation in the centre is close to real pure shear while in regions near the free edges is complex. Moreover, the size of the region affected by the free edge decreases with increasing strain. Besides, the larger the ratio of width to height of the specimen is, the closer approximation to real pure shear is. Calculations of tearing energy are made for a rubber pure shear specimen with a central crack or an edge crack in the specimen. Finite element analysis results for the tearing energy agree with the previous theoretical solution for long cracks. Tearing energy is linear with the length of the crack while the crack is short. The analyses are also performed by using various material models to investigate the effects of different material models on deformation and fracture.

Key words: Finite element analysis, Fracture, Pure shear, Rubber, Tearing energy