Multi-Scale Modeling of the Structural and Vibrational Behavior of Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Polymeric Nanocomposite Plates

Polymeric nanocomposites reinforced with carbon nanotubes are being considered as alternatives in many industrial applications. However, the mechanical behavior of the industrially produced nanocomposites is yet to be fully understood. In this study, Polyamide 6,6-based nanocomposites reinforced with different contents of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were manufactured using an injection moulding process. A multi-scale approach was followed to numerically model the mechanical behavior of the nanostructured materials. In order to find the stiffness matrix of the carbon nanotubes, different loading scenarios were conducted on the tubes using molecular dynamics simulations (LAMMPS). The derived properties of the carbon nanotubes from the atomistic simulations were included in a Benveniste Mori-Tanaka based micromechanical model allowing us to acquire the elastic mechanical properties in the produced nanocomposites with different arrangements and contents of the nanotubes. The numerical results were also compared with the experimental properties of the nanocomposites produced via different processing settings leading to distinct microstructures. Eventually the derived properties and stiffness matrices were incorporated in an in-house finite element code for plate vibrations. The results show how the arrangement and the content of the carbon nanotubes in the injection-moulded nanocomposite plates define their structural and vibrational behavior.