ABSTRACT
Carbon nanotubes (CNT) show superior mechanical and physical properties and seem to be promising ideal reinforcing material for polymer matrix composites of high strength and low density. Theoretical models just started to look into the reason for the cause of over predictions compared to the test data. The proposed methodology combines the Mori–Tanaka effective field method, micromechanics, classical laminate theory, and multiscale progressive failure analysis to predict the desired material properties of nanocomposites without the need for time-consuming and expensive testing and detailed finite element models. Efforts have been made to address and model the interfacial bonding, waviness and agglomeration issues. Uniformly dispersed spherical agglomeration helps increase the modulus, but adversely affects the tension, compression, and shear strength of epoxies reinforced with wavy multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Both experimental and theoretical studies conclude that CNT show superior mechanical and physical properties and seem to be promising ideal reinforcing material for polymer matrix composites of high strength and low density.
