Micromechanical analysis of fuzzy fiber reinforced composites

A novel fuzzy fiber reinforced composite (FFRC) reinforced with zig-zag single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon fibers is proposed. The distinct constructional feature of this composite is that the uniformly aligned CNTs are radially grown on the surface of carbon fibers. Analytical models based on the mechanics of materials approach and the Mori–Tanaka method are derived to estimate the effective elastic constants of this proposed FFRC. The values of the effective elastic properties of this composite are estimated with and without considering an interphase between the CNT and the polymer matrix. It has been found that the transverse effective properties of this composite are significantly improved due to the radial growing of CNTs on the surface of carbon fiber. The effective properties are also found to be sensitive to the CNT diameter.