Anna Y. Matveeva¹, Helmut J. Böhm², Grygoriy Kravchenko², Ferrie W. J. van Hattum¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.42, No.1, pp. 1-23, 2014, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2014.042.001

Abstract This paper presents a comparison of different finite element approaches to modelling polymers reinforced with wavy, hollow fibres with the aim of predicting the effective elastic stiffness tensors of the composites. The waviness of the tubes is described by sinusoidal models with different amplitude-to-wavelength parameters. These volume elements are discretized by structured volume meshes onto which fibres in the form of independently meshed beam, shell or volume elements are superimposed. An embedded element technique is used to link the two sets of meshes. Reference solutions are obtained from conventional three-dimensional volume models of the same phase arrangements. Periodicity boundary conditions… More >

J.B. Niu¹, L.L. Li², Q. Xu¹, Z.H. Xia^1,3

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.38, No.1, pp. 31-41, 2013, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2013.038.031

Abstract Crack deflection and penetration at the interface of multi-wall carbon nanotube/amorphous carbon composites were studied via molecular dynamics simulations. In-situ strength of double-wall nanotubes bridging a matrix crack was calculated under various interfacial conditions. The structure of the nanotube reinforcement -ideal multi-wall vs. multi-wall with interwall sp³ bonding - influences the interfacial sliding and crack penetration. When the nanotube/matrix interface is strong, matrix crack penetrates the outermost layer of nanotubes but it deflects within the nanotubes with certain sp³ interwall bond density, resulting in inner wall pullout. With increasing the sp³ interwall bond density, the fracture mode becomes brittle; the… More >

X. Frank Xu^1,2, Yuxin Jie³, Irene J. Beyerlein⁴

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.38, No.1, pp. 17-30, 2013, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2013.038.017

Abstract This note aims to relate the measured strength statistics of individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to the physics of brittle fracture and the weakest link model. By approximating an arbitrary flaw size distribution with a segmented power law, an effort is made to extend applicability of the Weibull distribution to arbitrary flaw populations, which explains why the Weibull distribution fits the experimental data of CNTs and many other brittle materials, and why in other cases it is not so clear. A generalized Weibull distribution is proposed to account for all non-asymptotic cases. The published CNT testing data are analyzed, and finally… More >

Branden B. Kappes¹, Cristian V. Ciobanu²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.38, No.1, pp. 1-16, 2013, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2013.038.001

Abstract Controlling the bandgap of carbon nanostructures is a key factor in the development of mainstream applications of carbon-based nanoelectronic devices. This is particularly important in the cases where it is desired that the carbon nanostructures are the active elements, as opposed to being the conductive leads between other elements of the device. Here, we report density functional theory calculations of the effect of silicon impurities on the electronic properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). We have found that Si adatoms can open up a bandgap in intrinsically metallic CNTs, even when the linear density of Si atoms is low enough that… More >

J. Joseph¹, Y. C. Lu¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.37, No.1, pp. 59-75, 2013, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2013.037.059

Abstract The aligned carbon nanotube (A-CNT) structure is composed of arrays of individual CNTs grown vertically on a flat substrate. The overall structure and properties of an A-CNTs are highly dependent upon the designs of various architectures and geometric parameters. In Part 2, we have presented the detailed designs and modeling of various aligned carbon nanotube structures. It is found the A-CNT structures generally have much lower modulus than an individual CNT. The reason is due to the high porosity and low density of the A-CNT structures, since the interstitial space between nanotubes is mostly occupied by air. Increasing the nanotube… More >

J. Joseph¹, Y. C. Lu¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.37, No.1, pp. 39-57, 2013, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2013.037.039

Abstract Aligned carbon nanotubes structures are emerging new materials that have demonstrated superior mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties and have the huge potential for a wide range of applications. In contrast with traditional materials whose microstructures are relatively "fixed", the aligned carbon nanotube materials have highly "tunable" structures. Therefore, it is crucial to have a rational strategy to design and evaluate the architectures and geometric factors to help process the optimal nanotube materials. Astructural mechanics based computational modeling is used for designing the aligned carbon nanotubes structures. Part 1 of the papers presents the theory of the computational method as well… More >

C.J. Huang¹, T.Y. Hung¹, K.N. Chiang²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.36, No.2, pp. 99-133, 2013, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2013.036.099

Abstract The development in the field of nanotechnology has prompted numerous researchers to develop various simulation methods for determining the material properties of nanoscale structures. However, these methods are restricted by the speed limitation of the central processing unit (CPU), which cannot estimate larger-scale nanoscale models within an acceptable time. Thus, decreasing the CPU processing time and retaining the estimation accuracy of physical properties of nanoscale structures have become critical issues. Accordingly, this study aims to decrease the CPU processing time and complexity of large nanoscale models by utilizing, atomistic-continuum mechanics (ACM) to build an equivalent model of carbon nanotubes (CNTs).… More >

Jennifer D. Rhymer¹, Hyonny Kim¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.35, No.2, pp. 87-117, 2013, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2013.035.087

Abstract Polymer matrix composite structures are exposed to a variety of impact threats including hail ice. Internal delamination damage created by these impacts can exist in a form that is visually undetectable. This paper establishes an analysis methodology for predicting the onset of delamination damage in toughened carbon/epoxy composite laminates when impacted by high velocity ice spheres (hailstones). Experiments and analytical work focused on ice sphere impact onto composite panels have determined the failure threshold energy as a function of varying ice diameter and panel thickness, and have established the ability to predict the onset of delamination using cohesive elements in… More >

P. Zhao¹, G. Shi^1,2

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.22, No.2, pp. 147-168, 2011, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2011.022.147

Abstract The Poisson ratio is a very important mechanical parameter for both single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and graphene. But, the Poisson ratios of SWCNTs and graphene can not be determined by the direct measurement on the nanoscale specimen, and Poisson ratios of SWCNTs and graphene predicted by different models vary in a huge range. An improved molecular structural mechanics model, where the bond angle variations are modeled by the flexible connections of framed structures, is employed in this paper to predict the Poisson ratios of SWCNTs and monolayer graphene sheets. The present results indicate that the Poisson ratios of both SWCNTs… More >

Alamusi¹, Y.L. Liu¹, N. Hu^1,2

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.20, No.2, pp. 101-118, 2010, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2010.020.101

Abstract In this work, we propose a 3 dimensional (3D) numerical model to predict the piezoresistivity behaviors of a nanocomposite material made from an insulating polymer filled by carbon nanotubes (CNTs). This material is very hopeful for its application in highly sensitive strain sensor by measuring its piezoresistivity, i.e., the ratio of resistance change versus applied strain. In this numerical approach, a 3D resistor network model is firstly proposed to predict the electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite with a large amount of randomly dispersed CNTs under the zero strain state. By focusing on the fact that the piezoresistivity of the nanocomposite… More >