Vibration analysis of orthotropic graphene sheets embedded in Pasternak elastic medium using nonlocal elasticity theory and differential quadrature method

In this paper, the small scale effect on the vibration analysis of orthotropic single layered graphene sheets embedded in elastic medium is studied. Elastic theory of the graphene sheets is reformulated using the nonlocal differential constitutive relations of Eringen. Both Winkler-type and Pasternak-type foundation models are employed to simulate the interaction between the graphene sheet and surrounding elastic medium. Using the principle of virtual work the governing differential equations are derived. Differential quadrature method is employed to solve the governing differential equations for various boundary conditions. Nonlocal theories are employed to bring out the small scale effect of the nonlocal parameter on the natural frequencies of the orthotropic graphene sheets embedded in elastic medium. Further, effects of (i) nonlocal parameter, (ii) size of the graphene sheets, (iii) stiffness of surrounding elastic medium and (iv) boundary conditions on non-dimensional vibration frequencies are investigated.     

Influence of initial shear stress on the vibration behavior of single-layered graphene sheets embedded in an elastic medium based on Reddy's higher-order shear deformation plate theory

In this article, the small-scale effect on the vibration behavior of orthotropic single-layered graphene sheets is studied based on the nonlocal Reddy's plate theory embedded in elastic medium considering initial shear stress. Elastic theory of the graphene sheets is reformulated using the nonlocal differential constitutive relations of Eringen. To simulate the interaction between the graphene sheet and surrounding elastic medium we used both Winkler-type and Pasternak-type foundation models. The effects of initial shear stress and surrounding elastic medium and boundary conditions on the vibration analysis of orthotropic single-layered graphene sheets are studied considering five different boundary conditions. Numerical approach of the obtained equation is derived by differential quadrature method. Effects of shear stress, nonlocal parameter, size of the graphene sheets, stiffness of surrounding elastic medium, and boundary conditions on vibration frequency rate are investigated. The results reveal that as the stiffness of the surrounding elastic medium increases, the nonlocal effect decreases. Further, the nonlocal effect increases as the size of the graphene sheet is decreased. It is also found that the frequency ratios decrease with an increase in vibration modes.     

A study on large amplitude vibration of multilayered graphene sheets

In the present article, large amplitude vibration analysis of multilayered graphene sheets is presented and the effect of small length scale is investigated. Using the Hamilton’s principle, the coupled nonlinear partial differential equations of motion are obtained based on the von Karman geometrical model and Eringen theory of nonlocal continuum. The solutions of free nonlinear vibration, based on the harmonic balance method, are found for graphene sheets with three different boundary conditions. For numerical results single, double and triple layered graphene sheets with both armchair and zigzag geometries are considered. The results obtained herein are compared with those available in the literature for linear vibration of multilayered graphene sheets and an excellent agreement is seen. Also, the effects of number of layers, geometric properties and small scale parameter on nonlinear behavior of graphene sheet are discussed in details.     

Does vibration amplitude influence the evaluation of nonlocal small scale parameter of single layered graphene sheets?

ABSTRACT

This study aims to evaluate the nonlocal small scale parameter for large amplitude vibration of single layered graphene sheets (SLGSs) comparing nonlinear resonant frequencies obtained via nonlocal continuum and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Nonlinear governing equations of motion are numerically solved employing the pseudo-spectral method to obtain the frequency response. Results reveal that the calibrated small scale parameter decreases when the vibration amplitude increases. Also, from MD simulations it is seen that for all length sizes after an ultimate vibration amplitude around 31% length size, the graphene sheets start to fracture.     

Influence of in-plane pre-load on the vibration frequency of circular graphene sheet via nonlocal continuum theory

In this study, the free vibration behavior of circular graphene sheet under in-plane pre-load is studied. By using the nonlocal elasticity theory and Kirchhoff plate theory, the governing equation is derived for single-layered graphene sheets (SLGSs). The closed-form solution for frequency vibration of circular graphene sheets under in-plane pre-load has been obtained and nonlocal parameter appears into arguments of Bessel functions. The results are subsequently compared with valid result reported in the literature. The effects of the small scale, pre-load, mode number and boundary conditions on natural frequencies are investigated. The results are shown that at smaller radius of circular nanoplate, the effect of in-plane pre-loads is more importance.     

Vibration characteristics of embedded multi-layered graphene sheets with different boundary conditions via nonlocal elasticity

A nonlocal elastic plate model accounting for the small scale effects is developed to investigate the vibrational behavior of multi-layered graphene sheets under various boundary conditions. Based upon the constitutive equations of nonlocal elasticity, derived are the Reissner–Mindlin-type field equations which include the interaction of van der Waals forces between adjacent and non-adjacent layers and the reaction from the surrounding media. The set of coupled governing equations of motion for the multi-layered graphene sheets are then numerically solved by the generalized differential quadrature method. The present analysis provides the possibility of considering different combinations of layerwise boundary conditions in a multi-layered graphene sheet. Based on exact solution, explicit expressions for the nonlocal frequencies of a double-layered graphene sheet with all edges simply supported are also obtained. The results from the present numerical solution, where possible, are indicated to be in excellent agreement with the existing data from the literature.     

Static and dynamic response of sector-shaped graphene sheets

Nonlocal elasticity theory is presented for the free vibration and bending analysis of nano-scaled graphene sheets having a sector shape. An eight-node curvilinear domain is used for transformation of the governing equation of motion of sector graphene from physical region to computational region in conjunction with the Kirchhoff plate theory. The discrete singular convolution method is employed for numerical solutions of resulting nonlocal governing differential equations and related boundary conditions. Then, the effects of nonlocal parameters, mode numbers, sector angles, and radius ratios on the static and vibration results of nano-scaled sector-shaped graphene sheets are discussed.     

Thermo-mechanical vibration of orthotropic cantilever and propped cantilever nanoplate using generalized differential quadrature method

In this article, the vibration frequency of an orthotropic nanoplate under the effect of temperature change is investigated. Using nonlocal elasticity theory, governing equations are derived. Based on the generalized differential quadrature method for cantilever and propped cantilever boundary conditions, the frequencies of orthotropic nanoplates are considered and the obtained results are compared with valid reported results in the literature. The effects of temperature variation, small scale, different boundary conditions, aspect ratio, and length on natural nondimensional frequencies are studied. The present analysis is applicable for the design of rotating and nonrotating nano-devices that make use of thermo-mechanical vibration characteristics of nanoplates.     

Nonlocal free vibration of orthotropic non-prismatic skew nanoplates

The free vibration of orthotropic non-prismatic skew nanoplate based on the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) in conjunction with Eringen’s nonlocal elasticity theory is presented. As a simple, accurate and low computational effort numerical method, the differential quadrature method (DQM) is employed to solve the related differential equations. For this purpose, after deriving the equations of motion and the related boundary conditions, they are transformed from skewed physical domain to rectangular computational domain of DQM and accordingly discretized. After validating the formulation and method of solution, the effects of nonlocal parameter in combination with geometrical parameters and boundary conditions on the natural frequencies of the orthotropic skew nanoplates are investigated.     

Generalized two-variable plate theory for multi-layered graphene sheets with arbitrary boundary conditions

In the present study, the free vibration, mechanical buckling and thermal buckling analyses of multi-layered graphene sheets (MLGSs) are investigated. Eringen’s nonlocal elasticity equations are incorporated in new two-variable plate theories accounting for small-scale effects. The MLGSs are taken to be perfectly bonded to the surrounding medium. The governing differential equations of this model are solved analytically under various boundary conditions and taking into account the effect of van der Waals forces between adjacent layers. New functions for the displacements are proposed here to satisfy the different boundary conditions. Comparison of the results with those being in the open literature is made. This comparison illustrates that the present scheme yields very accurate results. Furthermore, the influences of nonlocal coefficient, moduli of the surrounding elastic medium and aspect ratio on the frequencies and buckling of the embedded MLGSs are examined.     

Nonlocal buckling and vibration analysis of thick rectangular nanoplates using finite strip method based on refined plate theory

The buckling and vibration of thick rectangular nanoplates is analyzed in this article. A graphene sheet is theoretically assumed and modeled as a nanoplate in this study. The two-variable refined plate theory (RPT) is applied to obtain the differential equations of the nanoplate. The theory accounts for parabolic variation of transverse shear stress through the thickness of the plate without using a shear correction factor. Besides, the analysis is based on the nonlocal theory of elasticity to take the small-scale effects into account. For the first time, the finite strip method (FSM) based on RPT is employed to study the vibration and buckling behavior of nanoplates and graphene sheets. Hamilton’s principle is employed to obtain the differential equations of the nanoplate. The stiffness, stability and mass matrices of the nanoplate are formed using the FSM. The displacement functions of the strips are evaluated using continuous harmonic function series which satisfy the boundary conditions in one direction and a piecewise interpolation polynomial in the other direction. A matrix eigenvalue problem is solved to find the free vibration frequency and buckling load of the nanoplates subjected to different types of in-plane loadings including the uniform and nonuniform uni-axial and biaxial compression. Comparison studies are presented to verify the validity and accuracy of the proposed nonlocal refined finite strip method. Furthermore, a number of examples are presented to investigate the effects of various parameters (e.g., boundary conditions, nonlocal parameter, aspect ratio, type of loading) on the results.     

Small scale effect on the buckling of single-layered graphene sheets under biaxial compression via nonlocal continuum mechanics

In this article, the small scale effect on the buckling analysis of biaxially compressed single-layered graphene sheets (SLGS) is studied using nonlocal continuum mechanics. The nonlocal mechanics accounts for the small size effects when dealing with nano size elements such as graphene sheets. Using the principle of virtual work the governing equations are derived for rectangular nanoplates. Solutions for buckling loads are computed using differential quadrature method (DQM). It is shown that the nonlocal effect is quite significant in graphene sheets and has a decreasing effect on the buckling loads. When compared with uniaxially compressed graphene, the biaxially compressed one show lower influence of nonlocal effects for the case of smaller side lengths and larger nonlocal parameter values. This difference in behavior between uniaxial and biaxial compressions decreases as the size of the graphene sheets increases.     

Buckling of orthotropic micro/nanoscale plates under linearly varying in-plane load via nonlocal continuum mechanics

Buckling response of orthotropic single layered graphene sheet (SLGS) is investigated using the nonlocal elasticity theory. Two opposite edges of the plate are subjected to linearly varying normal stresses. Small scale effects are taken into consideration. The nonlocal theory of Eringen and the equilibrium equations of a rectangular plate are employed to derive the governing equations. Differential quadrature method (DQM) has been used to solve the governing equations for various boundary conditions. To verify the accuracy of the present results, a power series (PS) solution is also developed. DQM results are successfully verified with those of the PS method. It is shown that the nonlocal effects play a prominent role in the stability behavior of orthotropic nanoplates. Furthermore, for the case of pure in-plane bending, the nonlocal effects are relatively more than other cases (other load factors) and the difference in the effect of small scale between this case and other cases is significant even for larger lengths.     

Three-Dimensional Static Analysis of Nanoplates and Graphene Sheets by Using Eringen's Nonlocal Elasticity Theory and the Perturbation Method

A three-dimensional (3D) asymptotic theory is reformulated for the static analysis of simply-supported, isotropic and orthotropic single-layered nanoplates and graphene sheets (GSs), in which Eringen's nonlocal elasticity theory is used to capture the small length scale effect on the static behaviors of these. The perturbation method is used to expand the 3D nonlocal elasticity problems as a series of two-dimensional (2D) nonlocal plate problems, the governing equations of which for various order problems retain the same differential operators as those of the nonlocal classical plate theory (CST), although with different nonhomogeneous terms. Expanding the primary field variables of each order as the double Fourier series functions in the in-plane directions, we can obtain the Navier solutions of the leading-order problem, and the higher-order modifications can then be determined in a hierarchic and consistent manner. Some benchmark solutions for the static analysis of isotropic and orthotropic nanoplates and GSs subjected to sinusoidally and uniformly distributed loads are given to demonstrate the performance of the 3D nonlocal asymptotic theory.     

Nonlinear vibration of the piezoelectric nanobeams based on the nonlocal theory

This paper investigates the nonlinear vibration of the piezoelectric nanobeams based on the nonlocal theory and Timoshenko beam theory. The piezoelectric nanobeam is subjected to an applied voltage and a uniform temperature change. The nonlinear governing equations and boundary conditions are derived by using the Hamilton principle and discretized by using the differential quadrature (DQ) method. A direct iterative method is employed to determine the nonlinear frequencies and mode shapes of the piezoelectric nanobeams. A detailed parametric study is conducted to study the influences of the nonlocal parameter, temperature change and external electric voltage on the size-dependent nonlinear vibration characteristics of the piezoelectric nanobeams.     

Longitudinal varying elastic foundation effects on vibration behavior of axially graded nanobeams via nonlocal strain gradient elasticity theory

In this research, vibration characteristics of axially functionally graded nanobeams resting on variable elastic foundation are investigated based on nonlocal strain gradient theory. This nonclassical nanobeam model contains a length scale parameter to explore the influence of strain gradients and also a nonlocal parameter to study the long-range interactions between the particles. The present model can degenerate into the classical models if the material length scale parameter and the nonlocal stress field parameter are both taken to be zero. Elastic foundation consists of two layers: a Winkler layer with variable stiffness and a Pasternak layer with constant stiffness. Linear, parabolic and sinusoidal variations of Winkler foundation in longitudinal direction are considered. Material properties are graded axially via a power-law distribution scheme. Hamilton's principle is employed to derive the governing equations that are solved applying a Galerkin-based solution for different boundary edges. Comparison study is also performed to verify the present formulation with those of previous papers. Results are presented to investigate the influences of the nonlocal and length scale parameters, various material compositions, elastic foundation parameters, type of foundation and various boundary conditions on the vibration frequencies of AFG nanobeams in detail.     

Small scale effect on the free vibration of orthotropic arbitrary straight-sided quadrilateral nanoplates

As a first endeavor, the free vibration of orthotropic arbitrary straight-sided quadrilateral nanoplates is investigated using the nonlocal elasticity theory. The formulation is derived based on the first order shear deformation theory (FSDT). The solution procedure is based on the transformation of the governing equations from physical domain to computational domain and then discretization of the spatial derivatives by employing the differential quadrature method (DQM) as an efficient and accurate numerical tool. The formulation and the method of the solution are firstly validated by carrying out the comparison studies for the isotropic and orthotropic rectangular plates against existing results in literature. Then, the effects of nonlocal parameter in combination with the geometrical shape parameters, thickness-to-length ratio and the boundary conditions on the frequency parameters of the nanoplates are investigated.     

Analytical layerwise free vibration analysis of circular/annular composite sandwich plates with auxetic cores

In the present research, free vibration of circular and annular sandwich plates with auxetic (negative Poisson’s ratio) cores and isotropic/orthotropic face sheets is investigated for different combinations of the boundary conditions. To ensure that the results are accurate and reliable, a global–local layerwise plate theory is employed instead of the traditional equivalent single-layer theories. The governing equations are derived based on Hamilton’s principle and solved using a Taylor transform whose center is located at the outer radius of the plate. Due to this hint, the resulting semi-analytical solution can be employed for both circular and annular sandwich plates. After investigation of vibration behavior of a single-layer annular auxetic plate, a comprehensive parametric study including evaluation of effects of the auxeticity for sandwich plates with isotropic and orthotropic face sheets, symmetric and asymmetric layups, different core to sheet thickness, radius to thickness, and inner to outer radius ratios, and various boundary conditions, is carried out. Results show that unlike the single-layer auxetic plates that exhibit a transition state, the auxeticity may considerably increase the natural frequencies and rigidities of the circular/annular sandwich plates, especially when the boundary conditions induce higher rigidity in the plate or when the fibers are along the radial direction. Accuracy of results of the employed layerwise theory and the proposed semi-analytical solution is verified by comparing the results with those of the three-dimensional theory of elasticity extracted from the ABAQUS software.     

Buckling analysis and small scale effect of biaxially compressed graphene sheets using non-local elasticity theory

In this paper, buckling analysis of biaxially compressed graphene sheets with non-local elasticity theory is reported. The equations of motion for graphene sheet are derived using non-local local elasticity theory. Levy??s approach has been used to solve the governing equations for various boundary conditions of the graphene sheet. Present results from Levy??s solution agree with the results for all edges simply supported available in the literature. Further, the effect of the (i) non-local parameter, (ii) size of the graphene sheet and (iii) various boundary conditions on the critical buckling loads of the graphene sheets are investigated. It is observed that non-local parameter and boundary conditions significantly influence the critical buckling loads of the small size graphene sheets.     

Scale effects on buckling analysis of orthotropic nanoplates based on nonlocal two-variable refined plate theory

This article presents the buckling analysis of orthotropic nanoplates such as graphene using the two-variable refined plate theory and nonlocal small-scale effects. The two-variable refined plate theory takes account of transverse shear effects and parabolic distribution of the transverse shear strains through the thickness of the plate, hence it is unnecessary to use shear correction factors. Nonlocal governing equations of motion for the monolayer graphene are derived from the principle of virtual displacements. The closed-form solution for buckling load of a simply supported rectangular orthotropic nanoplate subjected to in-plane loading has been obtained by using the Navier’s method. Numerical results obtained by the present theory are compared with first-order shear deformation theory for various shear correction factors. It has been proven that the nondimensional buckling load of the orthotropic nanoplate is always smaller than that of the isotropic nanoplate. It is also shown that small-scale effects contribute significantly to the mechanical behavior of orthotropic graphene sheets and cannot be neglected. Further, buckling load decreases with the increase of the nonlocal scale parameter value. The effects of the mode number, compression ratio and aspect ratio on the buckling load of the orthotropic nanoplate are also captured and discussed in detail. The results presented in this work may provide useful guidance for design and development of orthotropic graphene based nanodevices that make use of the buckling properties of orthotropic nanoplates.