Flattening Cylindrical Contact Analysis of Single Walled Carbon Nanotube (SWCNT) Nanocomposite

The present study examines the effects of changes in single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) volume % in an Al reinforced nanocomposite under loading and unloading in a cylindrical flattening contact. Flattening action is provided by a rigid flat, which moves downward and upward to simulate the loading and unloading stages, respectively. The cylinder is modelled as a 2D quarter-circle, which consists of the embedded CNTs. Volume % of the nanotubes is varied by changing the wall thickness and number of CNTs, while the overall radius is kept fixed. Finite element model to perform a plane stress quasi-static analysis is created using ANSYS. The simulated results are compared with results from published studies to satisfactorily validate it. Various parameters, in the contact zone and in the vicinity of the CNTs, are presented as results. It is found that above a certain CNT thickness, higher volume percentage of CNTs result in higher contact force as well as contact area. Additionally, more matrix material in the asperity is found to yield plastically for higher volume percentage of CNTs.