title: Twisting Carbon Nanotube Ropes with the Mesoscopic Distinct Element Method: Geometry, Packing, and Nanomechanics.
abstract: The geometry and internal packing of twisted ropes composed of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are considered, and a numerical solution in the context of the mesoscopic distinct element method (MDEM) is proposed. Compared to the state of the art, MDEM accounts in a computationally tractable manner for both the deformation of the fiber and the distributed van der Waals cohesive energy between fibers. These features enable us to investigate the torsional response in a new regime where the twisted rope develops packing rearrangements and aspect-ratio-dependent geometric nonlinearities. MDEM emerges as a robust simulation method for studying twisted agglomerates comprising semiflexible nanofibers.
authors.forename: Yuezhou
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ostanin
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Champaign, Illinois 61801, United States.
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gaidău
authors.forename: Traian
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dumitric