The thermal effect on vibration of zigzag single walled carbon nanotubes using nonlocal Timoshenko beam theory

Based on nonlocal theory of thermal elasticity mechanics, a nonlocal elastic Timoshenko beam model is developed for free vibration analysis of zigzag single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) considering thermal effect. The nonlocal constitutive equations of Eringen are used in the formulations. The equivalent Young’s modulus and shear modulus for zigzag SWCNT are derived using an energy-equivalent model. Results indicate significant dependence of natural frequencies on the temperature change as well as the chirality of zigzag carbon nanotube. These findings are important in mechanical design considerations of devices that use carbon nanotubes.

► The effect of temperature change on vibration properties of SWCNTs is studied.
► The nonlocal effect on vibration properties of zigzag CNTs is examined.
► The dependence of the frequencies on the chirality of zigzag CNTs is shown.