Effect of Carbon Nanotube Waviness on the Load Transfer Characteristics of Short Fuzzy Fiber-Reinforced Composite

The effect of waviness of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the load transfer characteristics of the short fuzzy fiber-reinforced composite (SFFRC) has been studied, considering the wavy CNTs to be coplanar with either of the two mutually orthogonal planes. The distinct constructional feature of this composite is that the uniformly spaced wavy CNTs are radially grown on the circumferential surfaces of the short carbon fiber reinforcements. A three-phase shear lag model developed in the present study analyzes the load transfer characteristics between the orthotropic constituent phases of the SFFRC considering the application of the axial and radial loads on the representative volume element (RVE) of the SFFRC. In the absence of the applied radial load on the RVE, the results reveal that if the amplitudes of the wavy CNTs are parallel to the length of the carbon fiber, then the load transfer characteristics of the SFFRC are significantly improved compared to that of the composite with and without the straight CNTs. Reductions in the maximum values of the axial stress in the carbon fiber and the interfacial shear stress along the length of the carbon fiber become more pronounced in the presence of the applied radial load on the RVE. Effects of variations of the carbon fiber aspect ratio and the carbon fiber volume fraction on the load transfer characteristics of the SFFRC also are investigated. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.