Nonlinear vibration of the piezoelectric nanobeams based on the nonlocal theory

This paper investigates the nonlinear vibration of the piezoelectric nanobeams based on the nonlocal theory and Timoshenko beam theory. The piezoelectric nanobeam is subjected to an applied voltage and a uniform temperature change. The nonlinear governing equations and boundary conditions are derived by using the Hamilton principle and discretized by using the differential quadrature (DQ) method. A direct iterative method is employed to determine the nonlinear frequencies and mode shapes of the piezoelectric nanobeams. A detailed parametric study is conducted to study the influences of the nonlocal parameter, temperature change and external electric voltage on the size-dependent nonlinear vibration characteristics of the piezoelectric nanobeams. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.