Computational Modeling of Radiation Effects in Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polyethylene Composites

Abstract

Radiation effect in carbon fiber-filled polyethylene composites are of importance in space and aircraft applications. A two-fold approach is employed to study radiation effects in carbon nanotube polyethylene as the exemplar. First, a radiation transport model is created with a single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) as thin carbon slab superimposed on a slab of medium-density polyethylene matrix. Different weight fractions of SWCNT are examined and compared with an integrated model for the shielding abilities of galactic cosmic radiation. Second, molecular dynamics simulation with bond-order force field are conducted for 350 eV carbon recoil cascade simulation. Preliminary results discuss the effect of SWCNT on the radiation damage of crystalline polyethylene. Transport simulation demonstrate the efficacy of the slab model in predicting the shielding abilities and concluded that the dose increases with increasing SWCNT filler. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate that adding SWCNT enhances the radiation resistance with fewer free molecules produced.