Abstract: Shell model is widely used in studying the mechanical behavior of carbon nanotube, but the effective thickness and the physical thickness are greatly different. Especially the effects between two layers have to be considered in the study of multi-wall carbon nanotube. This paper proposed a carbon nanotube sandwich continuum model with three layers continuum to simulate one individual nanotube, the inner layer continuum simulate σ-bond, the two outer layers simulate π-bond and Van der waals force between two individual nanotubes. In this way finite element analysis could directly study mechanical behavior of multi-walled carbon nanotube. The model is proved valid by comparing the result with molecular dynamical (MD).

Key words: buckling, carbon nanotube, finite element, molecular dynamical (MD)