Influence of the concentration and nature of carbon nanotubes on the mechanical properties of AA5083 aluminium alloy matrix composites

Carbon nanotubes were shown to reinforce aluminium alloy composites prepared by powder metallurgy and hot-extrusion techniques. We study the influence of the carbon nanotube concentration on the composite Young's modulus and yield strength, which leads to an estimation of the nanotubes Young's modulus and aspect ratio using analytical models. We compare the reinforcement achieved with single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Finally, we discuss how to optimise the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube-reinforced aluminium alloy composites.