EXPLICIT SOLUTION METHODS IN QUASI-STATIC ANALYSES OF RUBBER-LIKE MATERIALS

ABSTRACT The use of explicit finite element methods is practical for only a limited range of bulk modulus to shear modulus ratios. As a consequence, these efficient and robust methods have not found a large range of application in the analysis of rubber-like materials. On the other hand, the implicit finite element methods, which do not have a material compressibility limitation, fail to provide a solution to many challenging nonlinear rubber problems. A systematic investigation of the bulk modulus effect on the solution of a typical class of rubber problems is carried out with the aim of providing quantitative guidance for the use of explicit methods in the quasi-static analysis of nearly incompressible media with strong nonlinearities.