ENERGY ABSORPTION OF CARBON NANOTUBE SUBJECTED TO IMPACT LOADS

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have remarkable resilience to dynamic loads as well as energy absorption capacity due to their excellent mechanical properties. This paper focuses on improving the understanding of energy absorption capacity of CNTs subjected to impact with a diamond projectile referred to as "the bullet". By analyzing the impact-rebound process it is shown that energy absorption in CNTs in local deformation mode is more sensitive to changes in kinetic energy than CNTs in global deformation mode. The bullet is launched at various velocities to create transverse impact at the mid-point of a CNT and the effect of bullet velocities on the energy absorption of CNTs is investigated. The research findings are complementary to the existing research on interfacial strength between CNTs and their surrounding matrix in CNT-nanocomposites, with the aim of optimizing energy absorption capacity of high-performance CNT-nanocomposites.