Elastic Behavior of Carbon Nanotubes Reinforced Composites: Micromechanical Modeling

A micromechanical model is applied to examine the tensile properties of composite materials filled with multi-wall CNT oriented in in-plane and out-of-plane direction and a quantitative micromechanical model for the mechanical behavior of CNT-composites has been developed. Digimat-MF is used to generate a realistic three-dimensional microstructure for the current carbon nanotube/ epoxy composite. The Digimat model simulates a system of aligned carbon nanotubes arranged in-plane and another one having out of plane arrangement of reinforcements. A second model shows a representative volume element for the current nano-composite, in which the carbon nanotubes were simulated as a randomly (fully) dispersed, where all particles have been separated from each other. The predicted mechanical properties are compared with experimental tensile properties of composite materials reinforced with multi-wall CNTs arranged in in-plane and out-of-plane direction. A good agreement between the micromechanical modeling and the experimental part is observed. Results show that the elastic energy stored in -the-through thickness direction reinforced composites is about two times higher than that in the pure polymer.