A Model for the Mullins Effect in Multinetwork Elastomers

Double and triple network (TN) elastomers can be made by infusing monomers into a single network (SN) polymer, causing it to swell, and then polymerizing and cross-linking the monomers. The result is a double network (DN) elastomer in which one network is stretched and the other is in hydrostatic compression. TN systems are made by repeating the process starting with the DN material. The multinetwork (MN) elastomers exhibit a Mullins effect in...