Finite element modeling of the effective creep compliance of carbon nanotube-polymer nanocomposites: A critical microstructure-level investigation

Abstract

A micromechanical model implemented with the finite element method (FEM) using the representative volume element (RVE) approach is developed to investigate the creep compliance behavior of carbon nanotube (CNT)-polymer nanocomposites. Effects of the CNT waviness, orientation, volume fraction and aspect ratio on the creep compliance of the nanocomposite are examined. Contribution of the interphase region formed due to the interaction between CNTs and matrix to the nanocomposite creep behavior is considered. The nanocomposite creep behavior is affiliate on the waviness and orientation of CNTs. Increasing the volume fraction and length of CNT and interphase thickness improves the nanocomposite creep performance.

Keywords:

• Polymer nanocomposite
• wavy carbon nanotube
• creep compliance
• representative volume element
• finite element model

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.