Effect of Alternation of Aging and Seawater Erosion on Properties of Rubber Material Used in Lead Rubber Bearing

An artificially accelerated alternation of aging and seawater erosion test of rubber materials used in lead rubber bearing (LRB) was performed, mainly to study the time-varying laws of rubber materials mechanical properties. Time-varying laws of the Mooney–Rivlin and Neo-Hookean constitutive parameters of rubber materials under the alternation of aging and seawater erosion were also analyzed. Results indicate that the rubber material mechanical properties were significantly affected by alternation of aging and seawater erosion. Hardness and elongation stress increased exponentially with test time. And 120 days after the test, the hardness increased by 14%, the maximum percentage increase in stress of 124.76% occurred at 100% constant elongation and the minimum percentage increase in stress of 68.32% occurred at 300% constant elongation; Tensile strength and elongation at break decreased by 44.96% and 53.09%. Besides, constitutive parameters of Mooney–Rivlin and Neo-Hookean all changed greatly with test duration. Finally, time-varying laws of constitutive parameters were verified by comparing the simulated and experimental results of the lead rubber bearing’s stiffness. Research results are of great significance to the seismic performance research and life-cycle performance analysis of offshore traffic engineering such as cross-sea bridges and bridges in the marine environment.