Mathematical model for the dynamic mechanical behavior of carbon nanotube yarn in analogy with hierarchically structured bio-materials

Abstract

The mechanical behaviors of carbon nanotube yarn (CNTY) can be described as collective mechanical behaviors of the components that comprise its hierarchical structures. The internal structures and mechanical behaviors of CNTYs closely resemble those of bio-materials, so we developed a simple mathematical model inspired by the mechanical behaviors of bio-materials to fully describe the mechanical behaviors of CNTYs during tensile testing. The developed model successfully fitted the experimental modulus-strain (M-S) curves of four types of CNTYs that have different internal structures and different M-S curves; this result confirms the generality of the model to describe the mechanical behaviors of CNTYs. The model parameters provide explanations of the structural characteristics of various CNTYs. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.