Modeling the influence of microstructural variations on the Young’s modulus of carbon nanotube-reinforced cement composites

The objective of this research is to develop an effective model for carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-reinforced cement composites by investigating effects of different microstructures on Young’s modulus of the composites. Different types of representative volume elements (RVEs) were developed, including aligned CNTs, random CNTs, random CNTs with curvature, random CNTs with agglomeration, random CNTs with agglomeration and curvature, random CNTs considering interphase between the cement matrix and CNTs, and random CNTs with agglomeration, curvature, and void. The influence of parameters was also studied by varying one of the parameters while keeping the others constant to study their individual effect on our model. The results revealed that the most effective model of predicting experimental results is the model with curved CNTs, incorporating agglomeration and void in the RVE. Developing an effective model for the mechanical properties of nanocomposite materials can help in designing and optimizing such materials to meet the requirements of various applications.