Fracture analysis of functionally graded material reinforced with MWCNT

Abstract

Computational model based on extended isogeometric analysis is implemented for the fracture analysis of functionally graded material (FGM) reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), i.e., FGM-MWCNT structure under mechanical and thermo-mechanical loading conditions. The FGM body taken for the study is composed of metal (Ti–6Al–4V) on the left side and ceramic (ZiO2) on right side. For the gradation of FGM properties that change throughout the domain length, exponential law is assumed. Moreover, the FGM is reinforced with 0–5% of MWCNT to obtain FGM-MWCNT composite. In order to perform this fracture analysis, first the equivalent mechanical and thermal properties of the FGM-MWCNT composite are evaluated using some of the micromechanics models cited in the literature. Using the interaction integral approach, SIFs are extracted. The results of the test show that when the volume percentage of MWCNTs increases, it enhances the failure resistance of the composite.