Equivalent parameter study of the mechanical properties of super carbon nanotubes

Theoretical studies are made for recent attention-getting super carbon nanotubes. The so-called 'super carbon nanotube' is a self-similar structure constructed from low-order carbon nanotubes. Based on the Euler beam theory, the equivalent parameters of super tubes are derived from those of arm tubes, and verified by finite element simulations. Instead of the Young's modulus E, a new equivalent modulus E beta is adopted, where beta is the ratio of thickness to diameter for arm tubes. The advantage of this equivalent modulus is that the Young's modulus and thickness do not need to be separated in stiffness calculations. The mechanical properties for composites made of super tubes and matrix are also discussed.