Vibration and Stability Analysis of DWCNT-Based Spinning Nanobearings

This paper aims at investigating free vibrations and stability of double-walled carbon nanotube (DWCNT)-based spinning nanobearings. The so-called nanobearing consists of two coaxial carbon nanotubes (CNTs) where either of the two CNTs can be a rotor while the other takes the role of stator. Euler–Bernoulli beam model along with the Eringen’s nonlocal theory of elasticity are employed to obtain governing equations of transverse vibrations for the CNTs. The coupling of the two CNTs originates from the van-der-Waals (vdW) forcing present in the interface of the two CNTs. The coupling is taken into account as distributed spring foundation with an equivalent elastic stiffness. Based on the obtained model, effects of small-scale parameter, vdW interaction between CNTs and the diameter ratio of CNTs on the critical spinning speed are investigated. Finally, the stability margins of the nanobearings are determined and some general conclusions are drawn.