Large deformation of uniaxially loaded slender microbeams on the basis of modified couple stress theory: Analytical solution and Galerkin-based method

Large deformation regime of micro-scale slender beam-like structures subjected to axially pointed loads is of high interest to nanotechnologists and applied mechanics community. Herein, size-dependent nonlinear governing equations are derived by employing modified couple stress theory. Under various boundary conditions, analytical relations between axially applied loads and deformations are presented. Additionally, a novel Galerkin-based assumed mode method (AMM) is established to solve the highly nonlinear equations. In some particular cases, the predicted results by the analytical approach are also checked with those of AMM and a reasonably good agreement is reported. Subsequently, the key role of the material length scale on the load-deformation of microbeams is discussed and the deficiencies of the classical elasticity theory in predicting such a crucial mechanical behavior are explained in some detail. The influences of slenderness ratio and thickness of the microbeam on the obtained results are also examined. The present work could be considered as a pivotal step in better realizing the postbuckling behavior of nano-/micro- electro-mechanical systems consist of microbeams.     

Free vibration of size-dependent Mindlin microplates based on the modified couple stress theory

This paper develops a Mindlin microplate model based on the modified couple stress theory for the free vibration analysis of microplates. This non-classical plate model contains an internal material length scale parameter related to the material microstructures and is capable of interpreting the size effect that the classical Mindlin plate model is unable to describe. The higher-order governing equations of motion and boundary conditions are derived using the Hamilton principle. The p-version Ritz method is employed to determine the natural frequencies of the microplate with different boundary conditions. A detailed parametric study is conducted to study the influences of the length scale parameter, side-to-thickness ratio and aspect ratio on the free vibration characteristics of the microplate. It is found that the size effect is significant when the thickness of microplate is close to the material length scale parameter.     

Nonlinear free vibration of a microscale beam based on modified couple stress theory

This paper presents a nonlinear free vibration analysis of the microbeams based on the modified couple stress Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and von Kármán geometrically nonlinear theory. The governing differential equations are established in variational form from Hamilton principle, with a material length scale parameter to interpret the size effect. These partial differential equations are reduced to corresponding ordinary ones by eliminating the time variable with the Kantorovich method following an assumed harmonic time mode. The resulting equations, which form a nonlinear two-point boundary value problem in spatial variable, are then solved numerically by shooting method, and the size-dependent characteristic relations of nonlinear vibration frequency vs. central amplitude of the microbeams are obtained successfully. The comparisons with available published results show that the current approach and algorithm are of good practicability. A parametric study is conducted involving the dependency of the frequency on the length scale parameter along with Poisson ratio, which shows that the nonlinear vibration frequency predicted by the current model is higher than that by the classical one.     

Size-dependent dynamic pull-in analysis of geometric non-linear micro-plates based on the modified couple stress theory

This paper focuses on the size-dependent dynamic pull-in instability in rectangular micro-plates actuated by step-input DC voltage. The present model accounts for the effects of in-plane displacements and their non-classical higher-order boundary conditions, von Kármán geometric non-linearity, non-classical couple stress components and the inherent non-linearity of distributed electrostatic pressure on the micro-plate motion. The governing equations of motion, which are clearly derived using Hamilton's principle, are solved through a novel computationally very efficient Galerkin-based reduced order model (ROM) in which all higher-order non-classical boundary conditions are completely satisfied. The present findings are compared and successfully validated by available results in the literature as well as those obtained by three-dimensional finite element simulations carried out using COMSOL Multyphysics. A detailed parametric study is also conducted to illustrate the effects of in-plane displacements, plate aspect ratio, couple stress components and geometric non-linearity on the dynamic instability threshold of the system.     

The effect of impedance boundary conditions on the potential function of the boundary diffraction wave theory

A novel potential function of the boundary diffraction wave theory is obtained for the impedance surfaces by the asymptotic reduction of the modified theory of physical integrals. The function is expressed in terms of the direction vectors of the incident and scattered rays. The application of the method is performed on the problem of diffraction of plane waves by an impedance half plane for oblique incidence.     

Patch test function for axisymmetric element of conventional and couple stress theory

The enhanced patch test proposed by Chen W J (2006) can be used to assess the convergence of the problem with non-homogeneous differential equations. Based on this theory, we establish the patch test function for axisymmetric elements of conventional and couple stress theories, and reach an important conclusion that the patch test function for axisymmetric elements cannot contain non-zero constant shear. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10672032)     

Molecular kinetic theory of boundary slip on textured surfaces by molecular dynamics simulations

A theoretical model extended from the Frenkel-Eyring molecular kinetic theory (MKT) was applied to describe the boundary slip on textured surfaces. The concept of the equivalent depth of potential well was adopted to characterize the solid-liquid interactions on the textured surfaces. The slip behaviors on both chemically and topographically textured surfaces were investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The extended MKT slip model is validated by our MD simulations under various situations, by constructing different complex surfaces and varying the surface wettability as well as the shear stress exerted on the liquid. This slip model can provide more comprehensive understanding of the liquid flow on atomic scale by considering the influence of the solid-liquid interactions and the applied shear stress on the nano-flow. Moreover, the slip velocity shear-rate dependence can be predicted using this slip model, since the nonlinear increase of the slip velocity under high shear stress can be approximated by a hyperbolic sine function.     

The effect of the boundary conditions on in-plane and out-of-plane stress field in three dimensional plates weakened by free-clamped V-notches

Dealing with the material microstructure an analytical multiscale model has recently been developed by Sih. Physically, the different orders of the stress singularities are related to the different constraints associated with the defect thought as a microscopic V-notch at the tip of the main crack. Irregularities of the material microstructure tend to curl the crack tip being the clamped-free boundary conditions the more realistic and general representation of what occurs on the microscopic V-notch. As a result, mixed mode conditions are always present along the V-notch bisector line.It is known for a long time that at the antisymmetric (mode II) stress distribution ahead of the crack tip generates a coupled out-of-plane singular mode. Recent theoretical and numerical analyses have demonstrated that this out-of-plane mode due to three-dimensional effects occurs also in the case of large V-notches where the mode II stress field is no longer singular. In addition, when the notch opening angle is non-zero, the three-dimensional singular stress state is strongly influenced by the plate thickness.The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of free-fixed boundary conditions along the notch edges in three dimensional plates weakened by pointed V-notches and quantify the intensity of the out-of-plane singularity occurring under this constraint configuration. For the sake of simplicity a macronotch is considered rather than a micronotch. A synthesis of the magnitude of the stress state through the plate thickness is carried out by using the mean value of the strain energy density over a given control volume embracing the notch tip. The capability of the strain energy density to capture all the combined effects due to the out-of-plane mode make it a powerful parameter at every scale levels.     

The effect of different combinations of boundary conditions on the average radiation efficiency of rectangular plates

The boundary conditions of a vibrating plate are known to have an influence on its sound radiation for frequencies below the critical frequency. To investigate this effect in a systematic way, the average radiation efficiency and radiated power are calculated for a rectangular plate set in an infinite baffle using a modal summation approach. Whereas analytical expressions exist for simply supported boundary conditions, a numerical approach is required for other cases. Nine combinations of boundary conditions are considered, consisting of simply supported, clamped and free edges on different plate edges. The structural vibration is approximated by using independent beam functions in orthogonal directions allowing simple approximate formulae for mode shapes and natural frequencies. This assumption is checked against a finite element model and shown to give reliable results. It is shown that a free plate has the lowest radiation efficiency and a clamped plate the highest for most frequencies between the fundamental panel natural frequency and the critical frequency. Other combinations of boundary condition give intermediate results according to the level of constraint introduced. The differences depend on frequency: excluding the extreme case of a fully free plate all the other boundary conditions give results within a range of 8 dB in the middle part of the short-circuiting region, decreasing towards the critical frequency. At low frequency the differences can be even greater, in some cases up to 20 dB. These conclusions are shown to hold for a range of plate thicknesses and dimensions.     

Nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulation for studying the effect of pressure difference and periodic boundary conditions on water transport through a CNT membrane

A NEMD simulation system is constructed to simulate at two-dimensional (2D) periodic boundary conditions (PBCs) and to create two different pressures on two sides of the carbon nanotube (CNT) membrane. The simulation results show that water permeation through the same CNT membrane driven by different pressure differences exhibit similar transport phenomenon including unusually fast water permeation and a periodic (non-parabolic) radial velocity distribution unlike the parabolic form characteristic of continuum flow in the CNT membrane. A three-dimensional (3D) PBC system is also constructed to simulate water permeation through the same CNT membrane at the same pressure differences, to show the effect of PBC and simulation methodologies on transport phenomenon. The two systems both show that the forward/backward water flux increases/decreases with increasing the pressure difference from 1.0 MPa to 8.0 MPa. However, the net flux is higher for the 3D PBC system, especially at higher pressure difference is high. In general, the NEMD simulation method using the 2D PBC system is shown to be a feasible and valuable tool for studying pressure-driven permeation processes such as nanofiltration through these studies with model CNT membrane.     

Simulation of grain boundary effect on characteristics of ZnO thin film transistor by considering the location and orientation of grain boundary

The grain boundaries (GBs) have a strong effect on the electric properties of ZnO thin film transistors (TFTs). A novel grain boundary model was developed to analyse the effect. The model was characterized with different angles between the orientation of the grain boundary and the channel direction. The potential barriers formed by the grain boundaries increase with the increase of the grain boundary angle, so the degradation of the transistor characteristics increases. When a grain boundary is close to the drain edge, the potential barrier height reduces, so the electric properties were improved.     

Effect of twin boundary on nanoimprint process of bicrystal Al thin film studied by molecular dynamics simulation

The effects of a twin boundary(TB) on the mechanical properties of two types of bicrystal Al thin films during the nanoimprint process are investigated by using molecular dynamics simulations.The results indicate that for the TB direction parallel to the imprinting direction,the yield stress reaches the maximum for the initial dislocation nucleation when the mould directly imprints to the TB,and the yield stress first decreases with the increase of the marker interval and then increases.However,for the TB direction perpendicular to the imprinting direction,the effect of the TB location to the imprinting forces is very small,and the yield stress is greater than that with the TB direction parallel to the imprinting direction.The results also demonstrate that the direction of the slip dislocations and the deformation of the thin film caused by spring-back are different due to various positions and directions of the TB.     

The effect of couple stresses on stress distribution in a thin plate due to the pressure of a rivet on one side of a circular hole

In this paper we shall investigate the effect of couple stresses on stress distribution in an infinite plate with a circular hole subjected to pressure exerted by a rivet.     

直接模拟中不同边界条件的实施及对沉降规律的影响

在牛顿流体中, 对颗粒在4种不同边界的垂直通道中的沉降运动进行了直接数值模拟. 计算结果表明:通过计算区域随颗粒运动而移动构建的无限长通道能准确模拟颗粒自由下落到稳定沉降的发展过程; 周期性边界条件由于流场变化, 对颗粒沉降产生了影响, 不能模拟颗粒的自由沉降过程; 底部封闭边界适合模拟封闭容器内颗粒与固壁的相互作用过程, 若颗粒达到稳定沉降, 也能模拟无限长通道内的沉降过程; 流化边界适合模拟流化床内气固两相流动. 计算结果有助于更好地理解和使用不同边界条件. 关键词： 直接数值模拟 边界条件 沉降 任意拉格朗日-欧拉方法     

The effect of magnetic fields and boundary conditions on the shear flow of nematics

The flow of a nematic liquid crystal between plane parallel plates, with one plate moving with uniform velocity relative to the other, is discussed. The apparent viscosity, orientation and velocity profiles are computed forp-azoxyanisole as functions of shear rate and magnetic field for symmetric and asymmetric molecular alignment at the plates. For symmetric homeotropic boundary condition, a magnetic field applied along the flow direction exhibits a threshold reminiscent of a Freedericksz transition in the hydrostatic case. In general the apparent viscosity for the asymmetric boundary condition is less than that for the symmetric case.     

The effect of magnetic fields and boundary conditions on the Couette flow of nematics

The paper discusses the theory of Couette flow of a nematic liquid crystal. The apparent viscosity, orientation and velocity profiles are computed forp-azoxyanisole as functions of shear rate and magnetic field for symmetric and asymmetric molecular alignments at the boundaries and for different relative radii of the cylinders. For symmetric homeotropic boundary condition an azimuthal field exhibits a threshold analogous to a Freedericksz transition. An expression is also derived for the Freedericksz threshold in the hydrostatic case.