| Popis: |
Big structures, such as super long suspension bridges, require materials that overcome the specific strength of steel, since there is a material-dependent limit size beyond which they shall collapse under their own weight. Carbon NanoTube Fibers (CNTFs) hold great promise for advanced applications, for their exceptional strength and stiffness per unit specific weight. We propose a theoretical model to describe the mechanical response of cables made of CNTFs. The mechanical response is studied via a variational approach and closed-form expressions are obtained for the stiffness parameters of the cable and the stress in the constituent CNTFs. This study shows that the stiffness and strength of the cable present opposite variations with respect to parameters associated with the geometric arrangement of the CNTFs, suggesting the existence of an optimal compromise yet to be experimentally verified. |
