  Elastomeric materials display a complicated set of stretchability and
fracture properties that strongly depend on the flaw size, which has long been
of interest to engineers and materials scientists. Here, we combine experiments
and numerical simulations for a comprehensive understanding of the nonlocal,
size-dependent features of fracture in elastomers. We show the size-dependent
fracture behavior is quantitatively described through a nonlocal continuum
model. The key ingredient of the nonlocal model is the use of an intrinsic
length scale associated with a finite fracture process zone, which is inferred
from experiments. Of particular importance, our experimental and theoretical
approach passes the critical set of capturing key aspects of the size-dependent
fracture in elastomers. Applications to a wide range of synthetic elastomers
that exhibit moderate (~100%) to extreme stretchability (~1000%) are presented,
which is also used to demonstrate the applicability of our approach in
elastomeric specimens with complex geometries.
