At ScientiaWeb, we frequently post articles mentioning developments using Carbon Nanotubes. What are they and what can they yield ? Find out.
Carbon Nanotube is a sheet of graphite, only an atom thick in which carbon atoms are bonded in a hexagonal structure and rolled into a cylindrical tube. They are only 1-100 nanometre in diameter. Currently, they are the strongest known material to man.
Composites
Composite Materials are ones in which a reinforcing substance (normally a fibre or grain like particles) are embedded in a matrix, the overall result of which is a very strong material with excellent resistance to fracture and stresses. Fibre-based composites are the most popular ones in which long or short fibres are embedded in a thermoplastic (which can be softened upon heating and remolded) or thermoset plastic (one which doesn’t soften on heating and cant be reshaped) to give high strength materials. The strength of a composite is directly proportional to the fibre strength. Stronger the fibre, stronger is the resulting composite.
Concrete – A composite
The concept of composite isn’t new as many people believe. Composites have existed for a long time. It’s just the awareness and general understanding of these material types wasn’t there. Concrete is a composite ! It’s a particulate-reinforced composite in which stones act as reinforcing agents embedded in a matrix of mixture of sand and cement. Same way the pre-tensioned rods of iron or steel that are placed inside concrete also act to strengthen the overall aggregate called concrete.
Carbon Nanotubes in Concrete
Since Carbon Nanotubes are fibres with excellent strength, when embedded into concrete, they make concrete stronger. This is due to the excellent ability of these fibres to bear loads transferred to them by the surrounding matrix (cement etc) when a heavy load is placed on the structure. Remember in composite materials, all the load is transferred to the fibres and they bear all of it while matrix keeps these fibres together and firmly in their place. This is how precisely composites respond to loading
Millions of these carbon nanotubes can be embedded inside concrete to provide additional strength while not adding any significiant weight to the structure itself. Imagine the weight of these nano size tubes compared to the 0.5″ diameter steel rods of circular section and do the maths. The weight of nanotubes is almost negligible compared to the steel rods.
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