A thermomechanical shear lag analysis of short fuzzy fiber reinforced composite containing wavy carbon nanotubes

A novel three-phase shear lag model is derived to study the load transfer characteristics of the short fuzzy fiber reinforced composite (SFFRC) subjected to the thermomechanical loading. The distinctive feature of the SFFRC is that the short carbon fiber reinforcements coated with radially aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are uniformly interlaced in the polymer matrix. The main novelty of the shear lag model derived in this study is that the interactions between the representative volume elements (RVEs) of the SFFRC, the application of the radial and the thermal loads on the RVE, and the radial as well as the axial deformations of different orthotropic constituent phases of the SFFRC have been taken into account. Particular emphasis has been placed on investigating the effect of waviness of CNTs on the load transfer characteristics of the SFFRC when the wavy CNTs are coplanar with either of the two mutually orthogonal planes. In the absence and the presence of the applied radial and thermal loads on the RVE, the shear lag analysis revealed that if the wavy CNTs are coplanar with the axial plane of the carbon fiber such that the amplitudes of the CNTs are parallel to the length of the carbon fiber then the load transfer characteristics of the SFFRC are significantly improved over those of the composite with and without the straight CNTs. The limiting value of the effective aspect ratio of the carbon fiber is also found for the efficient load transfer to the carbon fiber. (C) 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.