FINITE ELEMENT MODELING OF CARBON NANO-TUBE BASED COMPOSITES

This paper presents a computational modeling approach for predicting the mechanical behavior of polymer carbon nanotubes (CNT). The CNTs interaction with matrix material was modeled using continuum mechanics theory and finite element approach. Some numerical examples were carried out to investigate the stress distribution and to demonstrate the load carrying capacities of the CNT. Simulation results showed that the load carrying capacities of the CNTs in a matrix are significant, which are consistent with the observations in the experimental work reported in the literature. Effects of the caps at the ends of CNTs were also studied in detail

Keywords:

carbon nanotube , nanocomposite , finite element method