Modelling properties of micro- and nanocomposites with brush-like reinforcement

This paper presents a new four-component model for predicting the mechanical properties of micro- and nanocomposites reinforced either by whiskerizing the microfibres or by bristlizing the nanowires. The model is a generalization of the existing three-component model. Instead of the thin shell model for the fibre coating, two different components are distinguished: the solid coating surrounding the fibre and the bristled coating surrounding the solid coating. The mathematical formulation of the model is based on using, the Muskhelishvili complex potentials for each domain occupied by a separate component. The effective elastic constants are computed for fibrous composites with four different densities of wiskerisation. It is shown that the increase in the number of bristles per unit surface of the fibres gives a very strong rise to the value of Young's modulus. However, the shear modulus, being the driving parameter for the strength estimation of the entire composition, is less sensitive to this factor.