Mechanics of deformation of single- and multi-wall carbon nanotubes

An effective continuum/finite element (FE) approach for modeling the structure and the deformation of single- and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is presented. Individual tubes are modeled using shell elements, where a specific pairing of elastic properties and mechanical thickness of the tube wall is identified to enable successful modeling with shell theory. The incorporation and role of an initial internal distributed stress through the...