The main objective of this study is to create a rigorous computer model of carbon nanotube composites to predict their mechanical properties before they are manufactured and to reduce the number of physical tests. A detailed comparison between experimental and computational results of a cement-based composite is made to match data and find the most significant parameters. It is also shown how the properties of the nanotubes (Young's modulus, aspect ratio, quantity, directionality, clustering) and the cement (Young's modulus) affect the composite properties. This paper tries to focus on the problem of modeling carbon nanotube composites computationally, and further study proposals are given.
Keywords: Young’s modulus; carbon nanotubes; computer model; mechanical properties; microstructure; reinforced cement.