RMVT-Based Nonlocal Timoshenko Beam Theory for Stability Analysis of Embedded Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube with Various Boundary Conditions

On the basis of Reissner’s mixed variational theorem (RMVT), a nonlocal Timoshenko beam theory (TBT) is developed for the stability analysis of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) embedded in an elastic medium, with various boundary conditions and under axial loads. Eringen’s nonlocal elasticity theory is used to account for the small length scale effect. The strong formulations of the RMVT-based nonlocal TBT and its associated possible boundary conditions are presented. The interaction between the SWCNT and its surrounding elastic medium is simulated using the Pasternak foundation models. The critical load parameters of the embedded SWCNT with different boundary conditions are obtained by using the differential quadrature (DQ) method, in which the locations of [Formula: see text] sampling nodes are selected as the roots of [Formula: see text]-order Chebyshev polynomials. The results of the RMVT-based nonlocal TBT are compared with those obtained using the principle of virtual displacement (PVD)-based nonlocal TBT available in the literature. The influences of some crucial effects on the critical load parameters of the embedded SWCNT are examined, such as different boundary conditions, Winkler stiffness and shear modulus of the foundation, aspect ratios, and the nonlocal parameter.