Defining isotropic hyperelastic materials

Isotropic hyperelastic materials are described in terms of a “strain energy potential,” which defines the strain energy stored in the material per unit of reference volume (volume in the initial configuration) as a function of the strain at that point in the material. Several forms of strain energy potentials are available in Abaqus to model approximately incompressible isotropic elastomers. For more information on hyperelastic materials, see Hyperelastic Behavior of Rubberlike Materials.

When you define a isotropic hyperelastic material, you have the option of either specifying material parameters directly or allowing Abaqus to calculate them from test data that you provide. For detailed instructions, see the following sections: