Abstract
In this paper, the evaluation of the strength of the VGCF/Aluminum composites which have high thermal conductivity is reported. VGCF (Vapor Growth Carbon Fiber) is a kind of the Carbon nanotube (CNT) which has very high thermal conductivity as well as CNT. The composites are made by spark plasma sintering. The stress-strain curves of the composites are obtained by the tensile tests and show that the composites have brittle behavior. The brittleness of the composites increases with increase in the volume fraction of VGCF. A numerical simulation based on the micromechanics is conducted to estimate nonlinear behavior in the elastic deformation and plastic deformation of the stress-strain relations of the composites. The theories of Eshelby, Mori-Tanaka, Weibull, and Ramberg-Osgood are employed for the numerical simulation. The simulations give some information of the microstructural change in the composite related to the volume fraction of VGCF.
