Effective Moduli Evaluation of Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Polymers Using Micromechanics

A multistep homogenization method is adopted to compute the effective moduli of carbon nanotube reinforced composites. The composite is assumed to be reinforced with isolated individual fibers and clustered fibers. Auniformagglomeration model is introduced assuming constant carbon nanotube cluster size throughout the matrix. Agglomeration volume fraction-a critical parameter in the simulation-is considered to be an explicit function of inter-particle distance and quality of dispersion of fibers. The micromechanics model also incorporates random fiber orientation using a statistical approach. It is seen that these parameters reduce the stiffening effect of carbon nanotubes significantly in the composite.