Numerous materials, from biopolymers to filled rubbers, exhibit strain softening at high strain
amplitudes during a strain sweep in oscillatory rheology: The modulus decreases with
increasing deformation. On the other hand, if the nonlinear elastic response is analyzed
within a single oscillation cycle (described by a Lissajous curve), these systems are often
reported to exhibit strain hardening. We compare strain sweeps and single cycle LAOS
(large amplitude oscillatory shear) analyses of stress vs strain on three very different …