The refined theory of transversely isotropic piezoelectric rectangular beams

The problem of deducing one-dimensional theory from two-dimensional theory for a transversely isotropic piezoelectric rectangular beam is investigated. Based on the piezoelasticity theory, the refined theory of piezoelectric beams is derived by using the general solution of transversely isotropic piezoelasticity and Lur’e method without ad hoc assumptions. Based on the refined theory of piezoelectric beams, the exact equations for the beams without transverse surface loadings are derived, which consist of two governing differential equations: the fourth-order equation and the transcendental equation. The approximate equations for the beams under transverse loadings are derived directly from the refined beam theory. As a special case, the governing differential equations for transversely isotropic elastic beams are obtained from the corresponding equations of piezoelectric beams. To illustrate the application of the beam theory developed, a uniformly loaded and simply supported piezoelectric beam is examined.     

Analytical formulation and evaluation for free vibration of naturally curved and twisted beams

An analytical study for free vibration of naturally curved and twisted beams with uniform cross-sectional shapes is carried out using spatial curved beam theory based on the Washizu's static model. In the governing equations of motion of the beams, all displacement functions and the generalized warping coordinate are defined at the centroid axis and also the effects of rotary inertia, transverse shear deformations and torsion-related warping are included in the proposed model. Explicit analytical expressions are derived for the vibrating mode shapes of a curved, bending-torsional-shearing coupled beam under clamped-clamped boundary condition with the help of symbolic computing package Mathematica, and a process of searching is used to determine the natural frequencies. Comparisons of the present results with the FEM results using beam elements in ANSYS code show good accuracy in computation and validity of the model. Further, the present model is used for cylindrical helical springs with circular cross-section fixed at both ends, and the results indicate that the natural frequencies agree well with the theoretical and experimental results available.     

The refined theory of deep rectangular beams based on general solutions of elasticity

The problem of deducing one-dimensional theory from two-dimensional theory for a homogeneous isotropic beam is investigated. Based on elasticity theory, the refined theory of rectangular beams is derived by using Papkovich-Neuber solution and Lur’e method without ad hoc assumptions. It is shown that the displacements and stresses of the beam can be represented by the angle of rotation and the deflection of the neutral surface. Based on the refined beam theory, the exact equations for the beam without transverse surface loadings are derived and consist of two governing differential equations: the fourth-order equation and the transcendental equation. The approximate equations for the beam under transverse loadings are derived directly from the refined beam theory and are almost the same as the governing equations of Timoshenko beam theory. In two examples, it is shown that the new theory provides better results than Levinson’s beam theory when compared with those obtained from the linear theory of elasticity.     

Investigating the non-classical boundary conditions relevant to strain gradient theories

In the present study, two classes of non-classical constitutive equations consisting of the first and the second order strain gradients theories (FSG and SSG) were applied in order to develop the governing equations of static and free vibrational behavior of beam structures. The governing equations in orders of six and eight were constructed for FSG and SSG theories, respectively. Therefore, higher order or in other words non-classical boundary conditions (HOBCs or NCBCs) came into play in addition to the classical ones (CBCs). Some explanations were presented about the concept of the non-classical boundary conditions. Analytical and finite element (FE) approaches were employed to solve the governing equations. The analytical solutions were utilized in validation and convergence study of FE results. Comparisons were made with the relevant data reported in the open literature; however, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, few references have been published on SSG theory and HOBCs. In the numerical studies, the effects of applying different combinations of CBCs and HOBCs to the static and free vibration behaviors of the beam were investigated. Moreover, the impacts of non-classical elastic constants and the beam size on its behavior were also studied.     

Coupled out of plane vibrations of spiral beams for micro-scale applications

An analytical method is proposed to calculate the natural frequencies and the corresponding mode shape functions of an Archimedean spiral beam. The deflection of the beam is due to both bending and torsion, which makes the problem coupled in nature. The governing partial differential equations and the boundary conditions are derived using Hamilton’s principle. Two factors make the vibrations of spirals different from oscillations of constant radius arcs. The first is the presence of terms with derivatives of the radius in the governing equations of spirals and the second is the fact that variations of radius of the beam causes the coefficients of the differential equations to be variable. It is demonstrated, using perturbation techniques that the derivative of the radius terms have negligible effect on structure’s dynamics. The spiral is then approximated with many merging constant-radius curved sections joined together to approximate the slow change of radius along the spiral. The equations of motion are formulated in non-dimensional form and the effect of all the key parameters on natural frequencies is presented. Non-dimensional curves are used to summarize the results for clarity. We also solve the governing equations using Rayleigh’s approximate method. The fundamental frequency results of the exact and Rayleigh’s method are in close agreement. This to some extent verifies the exact solutions. The results show that the vibration of spirals is mostly torsional which complicates using the spiral beam as a host for a sensor or energy harvesting device.     

非惯性系下考虑剪切变形的柔性梁的动力学建模

研究非惯性坐标系下考虑剪切变形的柔性梁的动力学建模. 首先借鉴Euler-Bernoulli梁的几何非线性变形模式,考虑了Timoshenko梁弯曲以及剪切变形产生的几何非线性效应对纵向、横向变形位移的影响,在考虑两个方向的变形耦合项后,利用有限元法对柔性梁进行了离散,采用Lagrange方程建立了柔性梁的动力学模型,首次建立了包含变形二次耦合量的Timoshenko梁的动力学方程. 关键词： 非惯性坐标系 剪切变形 柔性梁 动力学建模     

Wave propagation in fluid-filled single-walled carbon nanotube on analytically nonlocal Euler–Bernoulli beam model

An analytically nonlocal Euler–Bernoulli beam model for the wave propagation in fluid-filled single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) is established. The governing equations with the nonlocal effects are derived on the variational principle, and used in the wave propagation analysis of the SWCNT beam. Compared with the partially nonlocal Euler–Bernoulli beam models used previously, the analytically nonlocal model presented in the present study predicts well the effects of the stiffness enhancement and the wave damping at the high wavenumber or the strong nonlocal effects area for the fluid-filled SWCNT beam. Though the analytical model is less sensitive than the partially nonlocal model when the moving velocity of the internal fluid is high enough, it simulates more of the high-order nonlocal effecting information than the partially nonlocal model does in many cases.     

Two-dimensional Hamiltonian description of nonlinear optical waveguides

We present a general method for studying the evolution of a beam propagating in a nonlinear optical waveguide. In the framework of a variational method, and within the Ritz optimization technique, the governing equations describing the evolution of the basic parameters of the beam are reduced to those of a Hamiltonian dynamical system. As a particular case the method yields the guided modes of the device (corresponding to fixed points of the dynamical system). As an example the method is applied to the full two-dimensional analysis of the guided modes of a nonlinear slab directional coupler and of a channel waveguide; numerical experiments are used to validate our approach.     

Fluid-Structure Interaction in Microchannel Using Lattice Boltzmann Method and Size-Dependent Beam Element

Fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problems in microchannels play prominent roles in many engineering applications. The present study is an effort towards the simulation of flow in microchannel considering FSI. Top boundary of the microchannel is assumed to be rigid and the bottom boundary, which is modeled as a Bernoulli-Euler beam, is simulated by size-dependent beam elements for finite element method (FEM) based on a modified couple stress theory. The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) using D2Q13 LB model is coupled to the FEM in order to solve fluid part of FSI problem. In the present study, the governing equations are non-dimensionalized and the set of dimensionless groups is exhibited to show their effects on micro-beam displacement. The numerical results show that the displacements of the micro-beam predicted by the size-dependent beam element are smaller than those by the classical beam element.     

Improved beam theory for multilayer graphene nanoribbons with interlayer shear effect

The bending of multilayer graphene nanoribbons incorporating the effect of interlayer shear is analyzed in this Letter. An improved beam theory is adopted and extended in which the in-plane extension of each layer is also taken into account. The governing equations for bilayer and trilayer graphene nanoribbons subjected to bending are presented as illustrative examples. Exact solutions for cantilever multilayer graphene nanoribbons are derived. Compared with the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the present beam model predicts much better results than the previous beam model in which the in-plane extension is ignored. The current study provides a strong evidence to include the in-plane extension effect in the continuum modeling of multilayer graphene structures.     

Resonance frequencies and stability of two flexible permanent magnetic beams facing each other

This paper aims at investigating the interaction of two flexible permanent magnet beams facing each other. The governing equations of motion are obtained based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam model along with Hamilton's principle. Assuming that the beams' tips are far enough, each magnet beam is considered as a series of dipole segments and the external force and moment distributions over each beam due to the magnetic field of the other one is calculated in the deformed configuration. The transverse deflections of the beams are written as series expansions of the mode shapes of an unloaded cantilever beam and the Galerkin method is applied to determine the stability and resonance frequencies. Using the obtained model, the stability regions of the beams for both cases of opposite poles and same poles facing each other are obtained. Also the effect of magnet's strength and flexibility of the beams on the stability boundaries are illustrated.     

Free vibration analysis of magneto-electro-elastic microbeams subjected to magneto-electric loads

Different types of actuating and sensing mechanisms are used in new micro and nanoscale devices. Therefore, a new challenge is modeling electromechanical systems that use these mechanisms. In this paper, free vibration of a magnetoelectroelastic (MEE) microbeam is investigated in order to obtain its natural frequencies and buckling loads. The beam is simply supported at both ends. External electric and magnetic potentials are applied to the beam. By using the Hamilton's principle, the governing equations and boundary conditions are derived based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory. The equations are solved, analytically to obtain the natural frequencies of the MEE microbeam. Furthermore, the effects of external electric and magnetic potentials on the buckling of the beam are analyzed and the critical values of the potentials are obtained. Finally, a numerical study is conducted. It is found that the natural frequency can be tuned directly by changing the magnetic and electric potentials. Additionally, a closed form solution for the normalized natural frequency is derived, and buckling loads are calculated in a numerical example.     

Wave propagation in double-walled carbon nanotubes on a novel analytically nonlocal Timoshenko-beam model

This paper is concerned with the characteristics of wave propagation in double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs). The DWCNTs is simulated with a Timoshenko beam model based on the nonlocal continuum elasticity theory, referred to as an analytically nonlocal Timoshenko-beam (ANT) model. The governing equations of the DWCNTs beam consist of a set of four equations that are derived from the variational principle of the beam with high-order boundary conditions at the both ends, in which the effects of the nano-scale nonlocality and the van der Waals interaction between inner and outer tubes are inclusive. The characteristics of the wave propagation in the DWCNTs beam were analyzed with the new ANT model proposed and the comparisons with the partially nonlocal Timoshenko-beam (PNT) models in publication were made in details. The results show that the nonlocal effects of the ANT model proposed in the present study on the wave propagations are more significant because it is in stronger stiffness enhancement to the DWCNTs beam.     

THE FORCED VIBRATION AND BOUNDARY CONTROL OF PRETWISTED TIMOSHENKO BEAMS WITH GENERAL TIME DEPENDENT ELASTIC BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

The governing differential equations and the general time-dependent elastic boundary conditions for the coupled bending-bending forced vibration of a pretwisted non-uniform Timoshenko beam are derived by Hamilton's principle. By introducing a general change of dependent variable with shifting functions, the original system is transformed into a system composed of four non-homogeneous governing differential equations and eight homogeneous boundary conditions. The transformed system is proved to be self-adjoint. Consequently, the method of separation of variables can be used to solve the transformed problem. The physical meanings of these shifting functions are explored. The orthogonality condition for the eigenfunctions of a pretwisted non-uniform beam with elastic boundary conditions is also derived. The relation between the shifting functions and the stiffness matrix is derived. The boundary control of a pretwist Timoshenko beam is studied. The effects of the total pretwist angle, the position of loading and the boundary spring constants on the energy required to control the performance of a pretwisted beam are investigated.     

Nonlinear dynamics of higher-dimensional system for an axially accelerating viscoelastic beam with in-plane and out-of-plane vibrations

In this paper, the bifurcations and chaotic motions of higher-dimensional nonlinear systems are investigated for the nonplanar nonlinear vibrations of an axially accelerating moving viscoelastic beam. The Kelvin viscoelastic model is chosen to describe the viscoelastic property of the beam material. Firstly, the nonlinear governing equations of nonplanar motion for an axially accelerating moving viscoelastic beam are established by using the generalized Hamilton’s principle for the first time. Then, based on the Galerkin’s discretization, the governing equations of nonplanar motion are simplified to a six-degree-of-freedom nonlinear system and a three-degree-of-freedom nonlinear system with parametric excitation, respectively. At last, numerical simulations, including the Poincare map, phase portrait and Lyapunov exponents are used to analyze the complex nonlinear dynamic behaviors of the axially accelerating moving viscoelastic beam. The bifurcation diagrams for the in-plane and out-of-plane displacements via the mean axial velocity, the amplitude of velocity fluctuation and the frequency of velocity fluctuation are respectively presented when other parameters are fixed. The Lyapunov exponents are calculated to identify the existence of the chaotic motions. From the numerical results, it is indicated that the periodic, quasi-periodic and chaotic motions occur for the nonplanar nonlinear vibrations of the axially accelerating moving viscoelastic beam. Observing the in-plane nonlinear vibrations of the axially accelerating moving viscoelastic beam from the numerical results, it is found that the nonlinear responses of the six-degree-of-freedom nonlinear system are much different from that of the three-degree-of-freedom nonlinear system when all parameters are same.     

Flow-thermoelastic vibration and instability analysis of viscoelastic carbon nanotubes embedded in viscous fluid

The flexural vibration of viscoelastic carbon nanotubes (CNTs) conveying fluid and embedded in viscous fluid is investigated by the nonlocal Timoshenko beam model. The governing equations are developed by Hamilton's principle, including the effects of structural damping of the CNT, internal moving fluid, external viscous fluid, temperature change and nonlocal parameter. Applying Galerkin’s approach, the resulting equations are transformed into a set of eigenvalue equations. The validity of the present analysis is confirmed by comparing the results with those obtained in literature. The effects of the main parameters on the vibration characteristics of the CNT are also elucidated. Most results presented in the present investigation have been absent from the literature for the vibration and instability of the CNT conveying fluid.     

Rotationally symmetric vibrations of orthotropic layered cylindrical shells

The derivation of the general equations of motion for the analysis of laminated cylindrical shells consisting of layers of orthotropic laminae, and the equations of motion for rotationally symmetric deformation made previously by the authors are used in this study. The three coupled differential equations governing the rotationally symmetric motion of each layer of a cylindrical shell with rotary inertia neglected are replaced by another set of three differential equations where the solutions can be obtained systematically. General solutions for laminated cylindrical shells of finite length are presented. Coupled frequencies and several mode shapes for a fixed-end cylindrical shell with one and two orthotropic layers of various geometric dimensions are calculated for illustrative purposes. The results based on the present analysis for a single layered shell are compared to the results obtained according to the classical analysis.     

Simulation of fluid-structure interaction in a microchannel using the lattice Boltzmann method and size-dependent beam element on a graphics processing unit

Fluid-structure interaction （FSI） problems in microchannels play a prominent role in many engineering applications. The present study is an effort toward the simulation of flow in microchannel considering FSI. The bottom boundary of the microchannel is simulated by size-dependent beam elements for the finite element method （FEM） based on a modified cou- ple stress theory. The lattice Boltzmann method （LBM） using the D2Q13 LB model is coupled to the FEM in order to solve the fluid part of the FSI problem. Because of the fact that the LBM generally needs only nearest neighbor information, the algorithm is an ideal candidate for parallel computing. The simulations are carried out on graphics processing units （GPUs） using computed unified device architecture （CUDA）. In the present study, the governing equations are non-dimensionalized and the set of dimensionless groups is exhibited to show their effects on micro-beam displacement. The numerical results show that the displacements of the micro-beam predicted by the size-dependent beam element are smaller than those by the classical beam element.     

The refined theory of deep rectangular beams for symmetrical deformation

Based on elasticity theory, various one-dimensional equations for symmetrical deformation have been deduced systematically and directly from the two-dimensional theory of deep rectangular beams by using the Papkovich-Neuber solution and the Lur’e method without ad hoc assumptions, and they construct the refined theory of beams for symmetrical deformation. It is shown that the displacements and stresses of the beam can be represented by the transverse normal strain and displacement of the mid-plane. In the case of homogeneous boundary conditions, the exact solutions for the beam are derived, and the exact equations consist of two governing differential equations: the second-order equation and the transcendental equation. In the case of non-homogeneous boundary conditions, the approximate governing differential equations and solutions for the beam under normal loadings only and shear loadings only are derived directly from the refined beam theory, respectively, and the correctness of the stress assumptions in classic extension or compression problems is revised. Meanwhile, as an example, explicit expressions of analytical solutions are obtained for beams subjected to an exponentially distributed load along the length of beams. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 10702077, 10672001, and 10602001), the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 1083012), and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany     

Vibration of Timoshenko beam on hysteretically damped elastic foundation subjected to moving load

The vibration of beams on foundations under moving loads has many applications in several fields, such as pavements in highways or rails in railways. However, most of the current studies only consider the energy dissipation mechanism of the foundation through viscous behavior; this assumption is unrealistic for soils. The shear rigidity and radius of gyration of the beam are also usually excluded. Therefore, this study investigates the vibration of an infinite Timoshenko beam resting on a hysteretically damped elastic foundation under a moving load with constant or harmonic amplitude. The governing differential equations of motion are formulated on the basis of the Hamilton principle and Timoshenko beam theory, and are then transformed into two algebraic equations through a double Fourier transform with respect to moving space and time. Beam deflection is obtained by inverse fast Fourier transform. The solution is verified through comparison with the closed-form solution of an Euler-Bernoulli beam on a Winkler foundation. Numerical examples are used to investigate:(a) the effect of the spatial distribution of the load, and(b) the effects of the beam properties on the deflected shape, maximum displacement, critical frequency, and critical velocity. These findings can serve as references for the performance and safety assessment of railway and highway structures.