Analytical modeling of carbon nanotubes effects and their distribution patterns on the low velocity impact response of sandwich panels

Abstract

In this paper, the effects of carbon nanotubes and their distribution patterns on low velocity impact response in sandwich panels are investigated. At first, the effects of carbon nanotubes and their distribution patterns on mechanical properties of sandwich panels will be obtained; then, for modeling the impact dynamics, the three-degree freedom mass-spring model has been used in which the effects of transverse flexibility of core are considered. To obtain the mechanical properties of sandwich panels, the effective properties of carbon nanotubes are calculated utilizing a composite cylinder micromechanics technique as a first step; then, these effective properties are used in the Mori–Tanaka methods to obtain elastic moduli of face sheets consisting of aligned or randomly oriented straight carbon nanotubes. After examining the validity of the present solution, the consequences of distribution patterns of carbon nanotubes, volume fraction of carbon nanotubes and initial velocity of the impactor are studied in detail.