Abstract: The fatigue damage test of disk type metal rubber piece is performed. The results show that fatigue damage performance of metal rubber is different from conventional solid materials. The damage of metal rubber is accumulated with its inner partial wires wearing and fracturing, so it does not rupture as sudden failure of solid material. The load-bearing capacity and energy dissipation are tapered in macroscopic view. The fatigue damage mechanism of metal rubber material is revealed through analysis of the variation of energy dissipation modes of two typical linking structures of inner wires along with the vibration cycle, which is mainly the difference between the slip extrusion modes of inner linking structures and the fretting friction, wear, fracture of metal wires. The stiffness damage and damping damage are used to accurately describe the fatigue damage process of metal rubber, and the comprehensive damage factor D is proposed to be the fatigue failure criterion.

Key words: Elastic porous material, Fatigue damage, Fretting friction, Metal rubber material