Analysis of alignment effect on carbon nanotube layer in nanocomposites

In this work, effect of various alignments of double walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) in composite is evaluated for axial, lateral and through plane properties. layers of DWCNTs are incorporated in the matrix. Four models with different layer combinations are analysed using 3D representative volume element. The highest value of axial modulus is observed for composite in which DWCNTs are aligned in direction of loading. Enhancement in lateral stiffness is observed for the models in which layers are aligned in plane perpendicular direction. Through plane stiffness is improved in vertically aligned DWCNT composite. It is observed that both axial and lateral moduli of composite behave non-linearly with respect to DWCNT volume fraction. This is because of the effect of agglomeration, due to the higher content of DWCNT in the composite. The proposed simulation is based on the experimentally adopted alignment of carbon nanotubes. DWCNT based composites with specific properties along various directions can be designed by controlling the volume fractions and alignment of the DWCNT sheets. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.