Vibration analysis of fluid-conveying nanotubes embedded in an elastic medium considering surface effects

An analytical model is developed to study the surface effects on the vibration behavior including the natural frequency and the critical flow velocity of fluid-conveying nanotubes embedded in an elastic medium. The effects of surface elasticity and residual surface stress are accounted through the surface elasticity model and the Young-Laplace equation. A Winkler-type foundation is employed to model the interaction of nanotubes and the surrounding medium. The results show that the surface effects have more prominent influences on the nature frequency with smaller nanotube thickness, larger aspect ratio and larger elastic medium constants. Both surface layers and the elastic medium enhance the stability of nanotubes. This study might be helpful for designing the fluid-conveying nanotube devices in NEMS and MEMS systems.