Multiscale Stochastic Simulations for Tensile Testing of Nanotube-Based Macroscopic Cables

• Published in: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Germany), 2008-08, Vol.4 (8), p.1044-1052
• Main Authors: Pugno, Nicola M., Bosia, Federico, Carpinteri, Alberto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: carbon nanotubes; Computer Simulation; Elasticity; fractures; Models, Chemical; Nanotechnology - methods; Nanotubes, Carbon - chemistry; ruptures; scaling; Stochastic Processes; Tensile Strength
• ISSN: 1613-6810; 1613-6829
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.200800062

Thousands of multiscale stochastic simulations are carried out in order to perform the first in‐silico tensile tests of carbon nanotube (CNT)‐based macroscopic cables with varying length. The longest treated cable is the space‐elevator megacable but more realistic shorter cables are also considered in this bottom‐up investigation. Different sizes, shapes, and concentrations of defects are simulated, resulting in cable macrostrengths not larger than ≈10 GPa, which is much smaller than the theoretical nanotube strength (≈100 GPa). No best‐fit parameters are present in the multiscale simulations: the input at level 1 is directly estimated from nanotensile tests of CNTs, whereas its output is considered as the input for the level 2, and so on up to level 5, corresponding to the megacable. Thus, five hierarchical levels are used to span lengths from that of a single nanotube (≈100 nm) to that of the space‐elevator megacable (≈100 Mm). Cable guy: Multiscale stochastic simulations are performed to compute the strength and Young's modulus of carbon‐nanotube‐based macroscopic cables (see image). Different cable lengths (from a single nanotube to the megacable of the space elevator), defect sizes, shapes, and concentrations are considered.