Predicting the nonlinear tensile behavior of carbon nanotubesusing finite element simulation

• Main Authors: Mohammadpour, Ehsan, Mokhtar, Awang
• Format: Citation Index Journal
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
• Online Access: http://eprints.utp.edu.my/5262/1/physicsA.pdf; http://eprints.utp.edu.my/5262/
• Institution: Universiti Teknologi Petronas

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess extremelyhigh mechanical properties and could be the ultimate reinforcingmaterials for the development of nanocomposites. Inthis work, a Finite Element (FE) model based on themolecularmechanics theory was developed to evaluate tensile properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The deformation and fracture of carbon nanotubes under tensile strain conditions were studied by common FE software, Ansys. In this model, individual carbon nanotube was simulated as a frame-like structure, and the primary bonds between two nearest-neighboring atoms were treated as beam elements. The beam element properties were determined via the concept of energy equivalence between molecular dynamics and structural mechanics. So far, several researches have studied the elastic behavior of CNTs, and its nonlinearity is not well understood. The novelty of the model lies on the use of nonlinear beam elements to evaluate SWNTs tensile failure. The obtained calculated mechanical properties show good agreement with existing numerical and experimental results.