This paper investigates the effective wall thickness of a single-walled carbon nanotube, a critical quantity for any research in mechanics and property characterization of carbon nanotubes. To this end, the response of a bundle of single-walled carbon nanotubes to external hydrostatic pressure was modeled using the ring theory of continuum mechanics. The model predicted that the equivalent thickness should be 0.617 Å. This in turn clarified the dilemma of the inconsistent Young’s modulus of carbon nanotubes reported in the literature.

• Received 9 May 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.68.165401