In- and out-of-plane dynamic flexural behaviors of two-dimensional ensembles of vertically aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes

Useful nonlocal discrete and continuous models are developed to explain free vibration of two-dimensional (2D) ensembles of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in bending. For this purpose, the models are constructed based on the nonlocal Rayleigh, Timoshenko, and higher-order beam theories. In contrast to an individual SWCNT exhibits identical bending behavior in different directions, for 2D ensemble networks of SWCNTs, it is shown that such a fact is completely dissimilar. Such an important issue leads to the definition of in-plane and out-of-plane flexural behaviors for such nanostructures. Subsequently, their corresponding fundamental frequencies are evaluated based on the proposed nonlocal models. The capabilities of the proposed nonlocal continuous models in predicting flexural frequencies of SWCNTs׳ ensembles with different numbers of SWCNTs as well as various levels of slenderness ratios are then explained. Such investigations confirm the high efficiency of the proposed continuous models. This matter would be of great importance in vibration analysis of highly populated ensembles of SWCNTs in which the discrete models may suffer from the size of the governing equations. The roles of the number of SWCNTs, slenderness ratio, intertube distance, small-scale parameter, and radius of the SWCNT on both in-plane and out-of-plane fundamental frequencies are addressed.