The carbon nanotube composite simulation by material point method

The mechanical behaviors of curved carbon nanotube reinforced composite are numerically investigated by the material point method (MPM). A procedure which is a series of curved fibers with high aspect ratio driven by gravity fall into a rigid box is proposed to generate the microstructure of the composite. The interaction between fibers, which is mentioned in the present paper as the network effect, is taken into account when the distance between the fibers is less than the cutoff distance of interaction. The results of the numerical simulation offer that the network effect plays a significant role on the strength of the composite, especially in high strain regime. Lastly, the influence of the filler volume fraction is also investigated by the proposed numerical procedure.

► A new procedure is used to generate the microstructure of the composite reinforced by long curve fibers.
► The strength of the composite is related to the additional connection between fibers.
► The volume ratio of the fiber is much more important than the additional connection.