Nonlinear vibration of fluid-conveying single-walled carbon nanotubes under harmonic excitation

•Nonlinear vibration of a SWCNT conveying fluid is investigated utilizing MDLP method.•Large elastic deformation and external harmonic excitation are taken into account.•The relations between internal resonance and external excitation force are analyzed in detail.

In this paper, the nonlinear vibration of a single-walled carbon nanotube conveying fluid is investigated utilizing a multidimensional Lindstedt–Poincaré method. Considering the geometric large deformation of the single-walled carbon nanotube and external harmonic excitation force, based on nonlocal elastic theory and Euler–Bernoulli beam theory, the nonlinear vibration equation of a fluid-conveying single-walled carbon nanotube is established. Analyzing the equation through the multidimensional Lindstedt–Poincaré method, and from the solvability condition of the nonlinear vibration equation, the cubic algebraic equation which indicates the amplitude–frequency relation is obtained. Based on the root discriminant of the cubic equation, the first order primary response of the pinned–pinned carbon nanotube is discussed. The relations among internal resonance, the amplitude and frequency of the external excitation force are analyzed in detail. When the external excite force frequency is around the first mode natural frequency, the first mode primary resonance occurs. If simultaneously the first two modes natural frequency ratio is around 3, internal resonance occurs and the internal resonance region depends on the amplitude of external excitation force.