Instability analysis of silicon cylindrical nanoshells under axial compressive load using molecular dynamics simulations

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation has provided researchers with a simple as well as accurate technique to investigate atomic and molecular systems. In the current investigation, the nonlinear axial buckling characteristics of cylindrical nanoshells made of silicon are studied based on MD simulations with Tersoff interatomic potential. Nanoshells with radius to thickness ratio of 10 are considered. The simulations are performed for different thermal environments and shell lengths to demonstrate the influences of them on the critical axial buckling loads of cylindrical nanoshells. It is found that through increase of length to radius ratio, the critical axial buckling load of silicon nanoshell decreases, but its critical end-shortening increases. Furthermore, it is revealed that by increasing the value of temperature, the both critical buckling load and critical end-shortening of silicon nanoshell under axial compressive load decreases. The given MD results can be useful to develop more computationally efficient and accurate continuum descriptions of silicon micro/nano-structures.