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. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.