Effect of interlayer forces for multilayered graphene sheets with different gap thicknesses in using nanoscale molecular mechanics approach

Graphene sheets are excellent materials to be adopted for powerful applications because of their superior mechanical and electrical properties. This study proposes a multilayered graphene sheet (MLGS) through finite element model (FEM) based on the use of hybrid of beam and spring elements and evaluate its mechanical properties with different gap thicknesses. A three-dimensional coupled FEM for an MLGS is developed through molecular mechanics. The interaction forces of the graphene layer with different gap thicknesses are also considered. The out-of-plane deformation of the bonds is distinguished from the in-plane deformation by considering a circular cross section for the beam elements. The effects of the interlayer forces on Young's modulus and shear modulus of MLGS are investigated. Simulation results from this work are comparable to both experimental tests and numerical studies from literature.