Torsional buckling analysis of multiwalled carbon nanotubes subjected to thermoelectromechanical loadings

Abstract

The theoretical torsional buckling analysis of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) under thermoelectromechanical loadings has been studied, which is of great significance to the application of carbon nanotubes in the electrical and thermal condition. Based on the Donnell shell theory, the theoretical governing equations of torsional buckling for MWCNTs subjected to thermoelectromechanical loadings have been established. The effects of torsional load, applied electrical and temperature loads, surrounding elastic medium and van der Waals forces between two adjacent nanotubes are taken into account at the same time. The critical buckling condition has been derived in terms of the buckling modes and the parameters that indicate the effects of thermoelectrical change, surrounding elastic medium and the van der Waals forces. Numerical results in general case are obtained for the thermal and electrical effects on torsional buckling of MWCNTs. It is shown that the critical buckling load under certain electrical and temperature field only depends on one factor, that is, the wavenumber of torsional buckling modes. Again, the critical buckling torques of MWCNTs change with the electrical and thermal field. Furthermore, the electrical field has much more powerful influence on the critical buckling torques than the thermal field.

Keywords:

• Multiwalled carbon nanotubes
• Torsional buckling
• Thermoelectromechanical loadings

The authors acknowledge the supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 10902040/A020602), the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (New Teachers), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (grant no. 8451064101000229) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, SCUT (grant nos. 2009ZM0238 and 2009ZM0280).