A rate-dependent aging constitutive model of EPDM rubber

Based on the rate-dependent non-aging constitutive model and the rate-independent aging constitutive model, a rate-dependent aging constitutive model is proposed to explain the changes in mechanical properties of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber under different strain rates and aging states. In order to simulate the actual use state of rubber, accelerated aging tests are conducted on the samples in a hot air aging environment. The grey wolf algorithm is utilized to accurately fit the engineering stress–strain curve obtained from the experiment, obtaining specific coefficient values that represent the effects of strain rate, aging time, and aging temperature in the constitutive model. The results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed rate-dependent aging constitutive model in accurately predicting the mechanical property changes of EPDM rubber under different strain rates and aging states. The consistency between the experimental data and the calculated results is within the acceptable error range. It is worth noting that the stress in the model shows the dependence on strain rate, aging time and aging temperature, emphasizing the mechanical property changes of EPDM rubber at high temperatures and low strain rates simulated in the uniaxial tensile state.

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