Tensile behaviours of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Abstract

This research is carried out to investigate linear and non-linear mechanical properties of the single-walled carbon nanotube. The approach of the analysis is carbon nanotube treated as a space-frame structure where the carbon nanotube atoms are treated as nodes and the covalent bond between atoms are treated as beam elements. The 3 types of carbon nanotubes i. e. the armchair, chiral and zigzag single-walled carbon nanotubes have been modelled using the Nanotube Modeler software. These geometric models will then be exported to the ANSYS Parametric Design Language software where the linear and non-linear analyses on the carbon nanotube structure have been conducted. The linear analysis is to determine the Young's modulus of the carbon nanotube structure. The non-linear analysis is to determine the ultimate tensile strength of the carbon nanotube structure. The material property (stress-strain data) of the individual beam is estimated using the Morse potential equation between carbon atoms. This material property is applied to the ANSYS's software where the carbon nanotube structure is assumed to behave in isotropic hardening manner. The Young's modulus and the tensile strength of the carbon nanotube structure are found to be close to past value taken from literature.