Martirosyan K.S., Zyskin M.
University of Texas at Brownsville, US
Keywords: deformations, graphene, Kevlar fibers, Young's modulus
The development of advanced method to reinforce Kevlar fibers by using 2D graphene structures is reported. This method is based on the ultrasonic-assisted swelling of the polymeric fiber in a graphene suspension with the use of organic solvent. In this paper we report the theoretical study of elasticity in reinforced Kevlar by graphene. The reinforcing of Kevlar is achieved by depositing an outer shell of graphene, rigidly attached to Kevlar by chemical bonding. The numerical simulations have shown the impact of the thickness of outer layer of graphene on the Kevlar fibers on the physical properties such as Young’s modulus and strength. We assume that graphene load is perpendicular to the fiber, and is slowly varying along the fiber. The stresses and strains we represented by two dimensional linear elasticity equations on a domain consisting of softer inner disk and much harder outer shell of graphene. The results shows that within 2d linear elasticity model, and realistic Young modulus and Poisson ratios for transversal deformations, reinforcement starts to occur when the outer hard shell radius is about 4% (corresponding to about 8 % weight of the graphene). This prediction is close to experimental data reported in literature.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 1, Nanotechnology 2011: Advanced Materials, CNTs, Particles, Films and Composites
Published: June 13, 2011
Pages: 480 - 483
Industry sector: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing
Topics: Advanced Materials for Engineering Applications, Coatings, Surfaces & Membranes
ISBN: 978-1-4398-7142-3