Nonlinear resonance responses of geometrically imperfect shear deformable nanobeams including surface stress effects

In this work, a thorough investigation is presented into the nonlinear resonant dynamics of geometrically imperfect shear deformable nanobeams subjected to harmonic external excitation force in the transverse direction. To this end, the Gurtin-Murdoch surface elasticity theory together with Reddy's third-order shear deformation beam theory is utilized to take into account the size-dependent behavior of nanobeams and the effects of transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia, respectively. The kinematic nonlinearity is considered using the von Kármán kinematic hypothesis. The geometric imperfection as a slight curvature is assumed as the mode shape associated with the first vibration mode. The weak form of geometrically nonlinear governing equations of motion is derived using the variational differential quadrature (VDQ) technique and Lagrange equations. Then, a multistep numerical scheme is employed to solve the obtained governing equations in order to study the nonlinear frequency-response and force-response curves of nanobeams. Comprehensive studies into the effects of initial imperfection and boundary condition as well as geometric parameters on the nonlinear dynamic characteristics of imperfect shear deformable nanobeams are carried out through numerical results. Finally, the importance of incorporating the surface stress effects via the Gurtin-Murdoch elasticity theory, is emphasized by comparing the nonlinear dynamic responses of the nanobeams with different thicknesses.