Considerations on the Study of the Mechanism of Delamination of a Steel Plate Reinforced with Carbon Nanotubes during the Pull-Out Test

The study investigates the process of delamination of a steel plate from the matrix during the pull-out test. Experimental results are obtained for two types of specimens—unreinforced and reinforced steel plates. The reinforced plate is coated with a thin layer of carbon nanotubes on one of its surfaces. The results of the experiment reveal that the load under which the reinforced plate delaminates from the matrix block is over 150% greater than that value for the unreinforced plate. The load-displacement curves demonstrate several characteristic phases preceding complete delamination—elastic strain phase, fracture phase, and friction sliding phase. Considerations on determining the interfacial strength, as well as effective properties of the reinforced plate and catastrophic delamination lengths, are presented.