Effect of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes on Mechanical and Electrical

Properties of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites in Aircraft

Structures
P.K. Sahoo a*, Vinod Kumar K a
a
CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore-560017, India
*
Email of the corresponding author: pks@nal.res.in

Abstract
Carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are extensively used in the aerospace
industries for both civilian and military aircraft structural applications due to their low
specific weight, improved static and fatigue strength. With the introduction of
nanocomposites in aerospace industries for structural applications, it is necessary to explore
the possibility of improvement in mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of the
conventional CFRP composites. Literature shows that the addition of MWCNTs (which have
exceptional mechanical properties and electrical conductivity) in epoxy resins improves its
mechanical properties and electrical conductivity. Therefore, it is expected that the addition
of MWCNTs in CFRPs would improve both mechanical [1, 2] and electrical properties of
such three-phase composites. In the present study, it is intended to investigate the possible
improvement in mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of CFRP composite by
adding MWCNTs in conventional aerospace grade CFRP composites. This study is focussed
on improving the structural integrity and SHM behaviour of CNTs-modified CFRP
composites. Finite element modelling and analysis of representative volume element (RVE)
of MWCNT-modified CFRP composites at nano-scale is carried out to generate constitutive
properties. The FEA results are compared with analytical results using micromechanics
approach based on Mori-Tanaka [3] method. Both the results are compared with experimental
results. The parametric studies of constitutive properties of nano-modified CFRP composites
for various wt% of MWCNTs and their orientations are conducted. Results concerning
mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of three-phase CNT-modified CFRP
composites are presented. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 shows the variations in longitudinal elastic
modulus and electrical conductivity, respectively, with varying weight percentage (wt%) of
MWCNTs. Results show that the analytical and FEA results are in good agreement. Both
analytical and FEA results are also compared with experimental results. It is observed that
there is a significant improvement in electrical conductivity, whereas improvement in
mechanical properties is not as substantial as electrical conductivity.

Fig. 1: Longitudinal Elastic Modulus variation with wt% of CNT

Fig. 2: Electrical Conductivity variation with wt% of CNT

[1] Mohammad-Kazem Hassanzadeh-Aghdam, R. Ansari & Abolfazl Darvizeh (2018), Multi-

stage micromechanical modelling of effective elastic properties of carbon fiber/carbon
nanotube-reinforced polymer hybrid composites, Mechanics of Advanced Materials and
Structures, Volume 0, 1-15 (2018)
[2] Rafic Younes, Ali Hallal, Farouk Fardoun, Fadi Hajj Chehade, Comparative Review
Study on Elastic Properties Modeling for Unidirectional Composite Materials, Composites
and Their Properties, 391-408 (2012)
[3] Stepan Lomov, Yasmine Abdin, Atul Jain, Mori-Tanaka Methods for Micromechanics of
Random Fibre Composites, 20th International Conference on Composite Materials (2015).