Buckling analysis of functionally graded microbeams based on the strain gradient theory

The buckling behavior of size-dependent microbeams made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) for different boundary conditions is investigated on the basis of Bernoulli–Euler beam and modified strain gradient theory. The higher-order governing differential equation for buckling with all possible classical and non-classical boundary conditions is obtained by a variational statement. The effects of the power of the material property variation function, boundary conditions, slenderness ratio, ratio of additional material length scale parameters for two constituents, beam thickness-to-additional material length scale parameter ratio on the buckling response of FGM microbeams are investigated. Some comparative results are presented in tabular and graphical form in order to show the differences between the results obtained by the present model and those predicted by modified couple stress and classical continuum models.     

A nonlinear strain gradient beam formulation

In this paper, a nonlinear size-dependent Euler–Bernoulli beam model is developed based on a strain gradient theory, capable of capturing the size effect. Considering the mid-plane stretching as the source of the nonlinearity in the beam behavior, the governing nonlinear partial differential equation of motion and the corresponding classical and non-classical boundary conditions are determined using the variational method. As an example, the free-vibration response of hinged-hinged microbeams is derived analytically using the Method of Multiple Scales. Also, the nonlinear size-dependent static bending of hinged-hinged beams is evaluated numerically. The results of the new model are compared with the results based on the linear strain gradient theory, linear and nonlinear modified couple stress theory, and also the linear and non-linear classical models, noting that the couple stress and the classical theories are indeed special cases of the strain gradient theory.     

Size effect on dynamic stability of functionally graded microbeams based on a modified couple stress theory

Dynamic stability of microbeams made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) is investigated in this paper based on the modified couple stress theory and Timoshenko beam theory. This non-classical Timoshenko beam model contains a material length scale parameter and can interpret the size effect. The material properties of FGM microbeams are assumed to vary in the thickness direction and are estimated though Mori–Tanaka homogenization technique. The higher-order governing equations and boundary conditions are derived by using the Hamilton’s principle. The differential quadrature (DQ) method is employed to convert the governing differential equations into a linear system of Mathieu–Hill equations from which the boundary points on the unstable regions are determined by Bolotin’s method. Free vibration and static buckling are also discussed as subset problems. A parametric study is conducted to investigate the influences of the length scale parameter, gradient index and length-to-thickness ratio on the dynamic stability characteristics of FGM microbeams with hinged–hinged and clamped–clamped end supports. Results show that the size effect on the dynamic stability characteristics is significant only when the thickness of beam has a similar value to the material length scale parameter.     

含约束薄膜的单轴拉伸的理论与数值研究

基于微态理论与应变梯度弹性理论框架,对含约束薄膜的单轴拉伸问题进行了研究。推导出在不同微观约束边界条件下薄膜单轴拉伸的解析解,较好的预测了薄膜内的边界层效应。通过分析两种理论之间的内在联系,发现可选取微态理论中的耦合因子作为罚参数,使得微态理论可以退化至应变梯度弹性理论。计算结果表明施加罚参数后的有限元解在边界层区域外...     

Investigation of thermoelastic damping in rectangular microplate resonator using modified couple stress theory

Thermoelastic damping is a significant energy lost mechanism at room temperature in micro-scale resonators. Prediction of thermoelastic damping (TED) is crucial in the design of high quality MEMS resonators. In this study the governing equations of motion and the thermal couple equation of a microplate with an arbitrary rectangular shape are derived using the modified version of the couple stress theory. Analytical expressions are presented for calculating the quality factor (QF) of TED in a rectangular microplate considering the plane stress and plane strain conditions. As a case study, a rectangular microplate resonator is considered with material property of gold that has a considerably high value of length-scale parameter in comparison with silicon and the effect of the length-scale parameter on the QF of TED is discussed in detail. The relation between QF and temperature increment for microplates with clamped boundary conditions based on plane stress and plane strain models are studied and results obtained by considering classical and modified couple stress theory (MCST) are compared. The effect of thickness of the plate on the rigidity ratio is studied and the critical thickness which is an important design parameter is obtained using the MCST for three boundary conditions. Variations of TED versus the plate thickness for various boundary conditions according to the classical and the modified couple stress theories are investigated.     

Free vibration analysis of size-dependent functionally graded microbeams based on the strain gradient Timoshenko beam theory

Investigated herein is the free vibration characteristics of microbeams made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) based on the strain gradient Timoshenko beam theory. The material properties of the functionally graded beams are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction according to the Mori–Tanaka scheme. Using Hamilton’s principle, the equations of motion together with corresponding boundary conditions are obtained for the free vibration analysis of FGM microbeams including size effect. A detailed parametric study is performed to indicate the influences of beam thickness, dimensionless length scale parameter, and slenderness ratio on the natural frequencies of FGM microbeams. Moreover, a comparison between the various beam models on the basis of the classical theory (CT), modified couple stress theory (MCST), and strain gradient theory (SGT) is presented for different values of material property gradient index. It is observed that the value of gradient index play an important role in the vibrational response of the microbeams of lower slenderness ratios. It is further observed that by increasing the length-to-thickness ratio of the microbeam, the value of dimensionless natural frequency tends to decrease for all amounts of the gradient index.     

The modified couple stress functionally graded Timoshenko beam formulation

In this paper, a size-dependent formulation is presented for Timoshenko beams made of a functionally graded material (FGM). The formulation is developed on the basis of the modified couple stress theory. The modified couple stress theory is a non-classic continuum theory capable to capture the small-scale size effects in the mechanical behavior of structures. The beam properties are assumed to vary through the thickness of the beam. The governing differential equations of motion are derived for the proposed modified couple-stress FG Timoshenko beam. The generally valid closed-form analytic expressions are obtained for the static response parameters. As case studies, the static and free vibration of the new model are respectively investigated for FG cantilever and FG simply supported beams in which properties are varying according to a power law. The results indicate that modeling beams on the basis of the couple stress theory causes more stiffness than modeling based on the classical continuum theory, such that for beams with small thickness, a significant difference between the results of these two theories is observed.     

Free vibration analysis of size-dependent functionally graded microbeams based on the strain gradient Timoshenko beam theory

Investigated herein is the free vibration characteristics of microbeams made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) based on the strain gradient Timoshenko beam theory. The material properties of the functionally graded beams are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction according to the Mori–Tanaka scheme. Using Hamilton’s principle, the equations of motion together with corresponding boundary conditions are obtained for the free vibration analysis of FGM microbeams including size effect. A detailed parametric study is performed to indicate the influences of beam thickness, dimensionless length scale parameter, and slenderness ratio on the natural frequencies of FGM microbeams. Moreover, a comparison between the various beam models on the basis of the classical theory (CT), modified couple stress theory (MCST), and strain gradient theory (SGT) is presented for different values of material property gradient index. It is observed that the value of gradient index play an important role in the vibrational response of the microbeams of lower slenderness ratios. It is further observed that by increasing the length-to-thickness ratio of the microbeam, the value of dimensionless natural frequency tends to decrease for all amounts of the gradient index.     

A nonlinear thick plate formulation based on the modified strain gradient theory

A geometric nonlinear first-order shear deformation theory-based formulation is presented to analyze microplates. The formulations derived herein are based on a modified strain gradient theory and the von Karman nonlinear strains. The modified strain gradient theory includes five material length scale parameters capable to capture the size effects in small scales. The governing equations of motion and the most general form of boundary conditions of an arbitrary-shaped plate are derived using the principle of virtual displacements. The analysis is general and can be reduced to the modified couple stress plate model or the classical plate model.     

Investigation of the size-dependent dynamic characteristics of atomic force microscope microcantilevers based on the modified couple stress theory

In this paper, the resonant frequency and sensitivity of atomic force microscope (AFM) microcantilevers are studied using the modified couple stress theory. The classical continuum mechanics is incapable of interpreting micro-structure-dependent size effects when the size of structures is in micron- and sub-micron scales. However, this dependency can be well treated by using non-classical continuum theories. The modified couple stress theory is a non-classic continuum theory which employs additional material parameters besides those appearing in classical continuum theory to treat the size-dependent behavior. In this work, writing differential equations of motion of AFM cantilevers together with appropriate boundary conditions based on the couple stress theory, the analytical expressions are derived for the natural frequency and sensitivity. According to the numerical results, when the ratio of beam thickness to the material length scale parameter is less than 10, the difference between the classical based and the couple stress based results of resonance frequencies and sensitivities is considerable. The results show the significant importance of the size effects in behavior of AFM microcantilevers.     

Vibration analysis of single-walled carbon nanotubes using different gradient elasticity theories

The present work aims at investigating the vibrational characteristics of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) based on the gradient elasticity theories. The small-size effect, which plays an essential role in the dynamical behavior of nanotubes, is captured by applying different gradient elasticity theories including stress, strain and combined strain/inertia ones. The theoretical formulations are established based upon both the Euler–Bernoulli and the Timoshenko beam theories. To validate the accuracy of the present analysis, molecular dynamics (MDs) simulations are also conducted for an armchair SWCNTs with different aspect ratios. Comparisons are made between the aforementioned different gradient theories as well as different beam assumptions in predicting the free vibration response. It is shown that implementation of the strain gradient elasticity by incorporating inertia gradients yields more reliable results especially for shorter length SWCNTs on account of two small scale factors corresponding to the inertia and strain gradients. Also, the difference between two beam models is more prominent for low aspect ratios and the Timoshenko beam model demonstrates a closer agreement with MD results.     

Vibration analysis of single-walled carbon nanotubes using different gradient elasticity theories

The present work aims at investigating the vibrational characteristics of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) based on the gradient elasticity theories. The small-size effect, which plays an essential role in the dynamical behavior of nanotubes, is captured by applying different gradient elasticity theories including stress, strain and combined strain/inertia ones. The theoretical formulations are established based upon both the Euler–Bernoulli and the Timoshenko beam theories. To validate the accuracy of the present analysis, molecular dynamics (MDs) simulations are also conducted for an armchair SWCNTs with different aspect ratios. Comparisons are made between the aforementioned different gradient theories as well as different beam assumptions in predicting the free vibration response. It is shown that implementation of the strain gradient elasticity by incorporating inertia gradients yields more reliable results especially for shorter length SWCNTs on account of two small scale factors corresponding to the inertia and strain gradients. Also, the difference between two beam models is more prominent for low aspect ratios and the Timoshenko beam model demonstrates a closer agreement with MD results.     

Torsion of strain gradient bars

The governing differential equation and both classical and non-classical boundary conditions of strain gradient bars are derived using variational approach. A closed-form analytical solution is obtained for static torsion and the characteristic equation, which gives the natural frequencies, is derived and analytically solved for the free torsional vibrations of the strain gradient microbars. A fixed-fixed microbar is considered as a specific case to investigate the torsional size-dependent static and free-vibration behavior of strain gradient microbars. The results of the current model are compared to those of the modified couple stress and classical theories.     

A modified nonlocal couple stress-based beam model for vibration analysis of higher-order FG nanobeams

In the present paper, nonlocal couple stress theory is developed to investigate free vibration characteristics of functionally graded (FG) nanobeams considering exact position of neutral axis. The theory introduces two parameters based on nonlocal elasticity theory and modified couple stress theory to capture the size effects much accurately. Therefore, a nonlocal stress field parameter and a material length scale parameter are used to involve both stiffness-softening and stiffness-hardening effects on responses of FG nanobeams. The FG nanobeam is modeled via a higher-order refined beam theory in which shear deformation effect is verified needless of shear correction factor. A power-law distribution is used to describe the graded material properties. The governing equations and the related boundary conditions are derived by Hamilton's principle and they are solved applying Galerkin's method, which satisfies various boundary conditions. A comparison study is performed to verify the present formulation with the provided data in the literature and a good agreement is observed. The parametric study covered in this paper includes several parameters, such as nonlocal and length scale parameters, power-law exponent, slenderness ratio, shear deformation, and various boundary conditions on natural frequencies of FG nanobeams in detail.     

Modeling fracture in the context of a strain-limiting theory of elasticity: a single anti-plane shear crack

This paper is the first part of an extended program to develop a theory of fracture in the context of strain-limiting theories of elasticity. This program exploits a novel approach to modeling the mechanical response of elastic, that is non-dissipative, materials through implicit constitutive relations. The particular class of models studied here can also be viewed as arising from an explicit theory in which the displacement gradient is specified to be a nonlinear function of stress. This modeling construct generalizes the classical Cauchy and Green theories of elasticity which are included as special cases. It was conjectured that special forms of these implicit theories that limit strains to physically realistic maximum levels even for arbitrarily large stresses would be ideal for modeling fracture by offering a modeling paradigm that avoids the crack-tip strain singularities characteristic of classical fracture theories. The simplest fracture setting in which to explore this conjecture is anti-plane shear. It is demonstrated herein that for a specific choice of strain-limiting elasticity theory, crack-tip strains do indeed remain bounded. Moreover, the theory predicts a bounded stress field in the neighborhood of a crack-tip and a cusp-shaped opening displacement. The results confirm the conjecture that use of a strain limiting explicit theory in which the displacement gradient is given as a function of stress for modeling the bulk constitutive behavior obviates the necessity of introducing ad hoc modeling constructs such as crack-tip cohesive or process zones in order to correct the unphysical stress and strain singularities predicted by classical linear elastic fracture mechanics.     

Buckling of functionally graded circular columns including shear deformation

An analysis of the stability of circular cylindrical columns/beams composed of functionally graded materials is made where shear deformation is taken into account. In this study, a new approach is carried out. Different from the assumption of uniform shear stress at the cross-section adopted in the Timoshenko beam theory, proposed model provides a new approach for treating the problem. Based on the traction-free surface condition, two coupled governing equations for the deflection and rotation are derived, and a single governing equation is further obtained. A comparison of buckling loads derived from the proposed circular column model and the Timoshenko and Euler–Bernoulli theories of beams is made. Moreover, the effects of radial gradient on buckling loads of elastic columns with circular cross-section made of functionally graded materials are elucidated. Finally, the stability of double-walled carbon nanotubes is considered and critical stress is determined and compared with existing results. The results obtained by the proposed model show very good agreement with the results of the Timoshenko beam theory or Reddy–Bickford beam theory.     

Geometrically nonlinear micro-plate formulation based on the modified couple stress theory

The couple stress theory is a non-classical continuum theory which is capable to capture size effects in small-scale structures. This property makes it appropriate for modeling the structures in micron and sub-micron scales. The purpose of this paper is the derivation of the governing motion equations and boundary conditions for the geometrically nonlinear micro-plates with arbitrary shapes based on the modified version of the couple stress theory. The consistent boundary conditions are provided at smooth parts of the plate periphery and also at the sharp corners of the periphery using variational approach.     

Vibration and buckling analysis of functionally graded sandwich beams by a new higher-order shear deformation theory

This paper proposes a new higher-order shear deformation theory for buckling and free vibration analysis of isotropic and functionally graded (FG) sandwich beams. The present theory accounts a new hyperbolic distribution of transverse shear stress and satisfies the traction free boundary conditions. Equations of motion are derived from Lagrange's equations. Analytical solutions are presented for the isotropic and FG sandwich beams with various boundary conditions. Numerical results for natural frequencies and critical buckling loads obtained using the present theory are compared with those obtained using the higher and first-order shear deformation beam theories. Effects of the boundary conditions, power-law index, span-to-depth ratio and skin-core-skin thickness ratios on the critical buckling loads and natural frequencies of the FG beams are discussed.     

The size-dependent natural frequency of Bernoulli-Euler micro-beams

The dynamic problems of Bernoulli-Euler beams are solved analytically on the basis of modified couple stress theory. The governing equations of equilibrium, initial conditions and boundary conditions are obtained by a combination of the basic equations of modified couple stress theory and Hamilton’s principle. Two boundary value problems (one for simply supported beam and another for cantilever beam) are solved and the size effect on the beam’s natural frequencies for two kinds of boundary conditions are assessed. It is found that the natural frequencies of the beams predicted by the new model are size-dependent. The difference between the natural frequencies predicted by the newly established model and classical beam model is very significant when the ratio of characteristic sizes to internal material length scale parameter is approximately equal to one, but is diminishing with the increase of the ratio.     

Elastic bending analysis of bilayered beams containing a gradient layer by an alternative two-variable method

Aifantis’s strain gradient elasticity theories and Zhang’s two-variable method are used to study elastic bending problems of bilayered micro-cantilever beams, containing a gradient layer, subjected to a transverse concentrated load. The differential element method is used to obtain differential governing equations. The variational method is employed to overcome the difficulty in deriving nonlocal natural boundary conditions, which could not be automatically fulfilled in gradient theories, not like that in classical theories. Then the differential governing equations subjected to the related boundary conditions are solved analytically to obtain the deformation field, which could be degenerated to that in classical elasticity theories. The gradient parameters of epoxy polymeric resin and copper single crystals in the present model are provided by fitting Lam’s and Demir’s experiments. The influences of length and layer thickness on normalized deflection and effective rigidity are discussed in a representative case of a Cu/epoxy polymeric resin beam. Results show that size effect makes the effective rigidity vary more prominently with shorter beam length or larger layer thickness. For given materials, although size effect exists, classical elasticity theories are still valid in some particular combination of three geometric parameters: beam length, upper and lower layer thicknesses.