Continuum Model for Stability Analysis of Carbon Nanotubes Under Initial Bend

Stability analysis of carbon nanotubes (CNT) under initial bend is conducted using continuum elastic beam models for both single wall nanotube (SWNT) and double wall nanotube (DWNT). A discrete beam model is proposed for simulating the mechanism of kink instability, a local buckling phenomenon, of CNTs. Theoretical analysis of the critical axial load for kink instability is carried out with the elastic beam model. Based on the theoretical analysis, the size effect of CNTs on the critical axial force is studied. By setting the initial bend to be zero, the current model can be used to predict the buckling load of a straight CNT as well.