Molecular Dynamics Simulation of In-plane Mechanical Properties of Carbon Nanotubes Reinforced Aluminum

The influences of carbon nanotubes(CNTs)on the elastic moduli and compressive strength of aluminum (Al) matrix were investigated using the classical molecular dynamics (MD) method. The relative mass fractions of CNTs are between 3.9% and 23.7% in our study. The results show that the reinforced effect is increased with the increase of the mass fraction of CNTs. The reinforcement of carbon nanotubes ranges from 52% to 276% on the elastic moduli, and from 38% to 119% on the compressive strength. In addition, The efficiency of enhancement of single-wall carbon nanotubes(SWCNTs) is higher than that of double-wall carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs). Therefore, it is better to use SWCNTs as reinforced material than DWCNTs.