Effect of Interface on Elastic Properties for Hybrid Smart Nanocomposites Using Micromechanics Based Mori Tanaka Technique

Carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced composites are an extensive and convoluted research domain, in particular their modelling and simulation. These nanocomposites have been continuously researched for enhanced mechanical properties. The interface is supposedly the layer created around the CNTs embedded in a matrix with easily distinguishable properties. To exploit the true potential of nanocomposites and their hybrids, the evaluation of their interface characteristics and their effect on mechanical properties is a crucial aspect. A new model consisting of a hybrid smart composite reinforced with CNTs and piezoelectric fibers has been proposed. Understanding the significance of interface in hybrid nano composites is the key concept of this paper. To analyse the mechanical performance in the proposed composite, the evaluation of interfaces is performed using the micromechanics-based Mori Tanaka technique. The results show that both the longitudinal and transverse elastic properties of hybrid smart nanocomposites increase significantly linearly with the use of interface and agree well with the micromechanics-based strength of materials approach. Taking this into consideration, the interface promotes prophecy of nanocomposites for novel structural and wearable smart textile applications.