Multiscale finite element simulation of mechanical properties of pillared graphene sheet reinforced composites

Abstract

This article presents a detailed study of the elastic properties of pillared graphene sheet (PGS) reinforced composites. Modeling of several different composite structures using the numerical simulation software ABAQUS. The effects of carbon nanotube pillar distance (PD), pillar length (PL), CNT inclination angle, the volume fraction of PGS and the number of carbon nanotubes per layer in the PGS on the elastic properties of the reinforced composites are analyzed. The simulation results show that as the volume fraction of PGS increases, the Young's modulus E and shear modulus G of the reinforced composites also increase accordingly. The results also illustrate that the Young's modulus E and shear modulus G of the composites decrease as the tilt angle of the CNTs become larger, but increase with the content of CNTs per layer in the PGS. In addition, the PD and PL of CNTs also influence the elastic properties of the composites.