48th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference
23 - 26 April 2007, Honolulu, Hawaii

AIAA 2007-2172

Micromechanics Aspects of Multi-scale Modeling of
Multi-functional Nanocomposites:
Effective Thermal Conductivity

Gary D. Seidel and Dimitris C. Lagoudas
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3141, USA

In the present work, a micromechanics approach based on the composite cylinders model
is applied as an alternate approach for assessing the impact of an interfacial thermal resistance
on the effective thermal conductivity of nanocomposites. Anisotropy is introduced
into the carbon nanotubes by reducing the axial conductivity of the carbon nanotube in
order to account for end effects associated with the interface thermal resistance layer. A
composite bar is constructed as series solution for the effective axial conductivity of the
nanotube. In addition, the composite cylinders assemblage is used to directly determine
concentration tensors for use in incorporating the effects of random orientation. It is found
that in addition to the inclusion of the interface thermal resistance, it may be necessary to
include the effects of a graded matrix interphase layer in using such models to explain the
measured data.