Prediction of the piezo-resistive behavior of rubber/carbon nanotube nanocomposites under quasi-static compression

Aravind Rajan Ayagara (1, 2) , André Langlet (1, 2) , Michel Gratton (1, 3) , Nourredine Aït Hocine (1, 3)

1 LaMé - Laboratoire de Mécanique Gabriel Lamé
2 DivS - Dynamique interactions vibrations Structures
3 MMP - Mécanique des Matériaux et Procédés

This paper presents the prediction of piezo-resistive behavior under quasi-static uniaxial compression loads using the Percolation Excluded Volume (PEV) approach. The PEV approach is supplemented by Finite Element (FE) simulations to calculate the displacements of Carbon Nano-Tubes (CNTs) embedded in a polymer matrix. The number of contacts between CNTs is determined by the minimum distance threshold (tunnelling distance). The FE model is based on experimental parameters and CNT data. The simulations carried out using the LS-Dyna solver made it possible to calculate the variation of electrical resistance, which was found to be in accordance with its experimental counterpart. The resistance increases when the CNTs are mostly oriented orthogonally to the loading direction. For other orientations, the resistance decreases.

Mots clés: Numerical analysis; Electrical properties; Polymer-Matrix Composites; Nanocomposites

Domaines: Mécanique des matériaux [physics.class-ph]

Aravind Rajan Ayagara, André Langlet, Michel Gratton, Nourredine Aït Hocine. Prediction of the piezo-resistive behavior of rubber/carbon nanotube nanocomposites under quasi-static compression. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, In press, ⟨10.1016/j.compositesa.2021.106428⟩. ⟨hal-03225397⟩