Elastic buckling and vibration analyses of orthotropic nanoplates using nonlocal continuum mechanics and spline finite strip method

This paper addresses the elastic buckling and vibration characteristics of isotropic and orthotropic nanoplates using finite strip method. In order to consider small scale effect, Eringen's nonlocal continuum elasticity is employed. The governing nanoplate equations are derived using the principle of virtual work while B3-spline finite strip method is applied to the buckling and vibration analyses. The buckling load and vibration frequency of graphene sheets, which are subjected to biaxial compression and pure shear loading, are determined whilst the effects of different parameters such as sheet size, nonlocal parameter, aspect ratio and boundary conditions are investigated. The interaction curves of the critical biaxial compression loading as well as the interaction curves of the critical uniaxial compression and shear loading are also obtained. It is shown that small scale effect plays considerable role in the analysis of small sizes plates. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.