Rigorous buckling analysis of size-dependent functionally graded cylindrical nanoshells

This paper presents new analytical solutions for buckling of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and functionally graded (FG) cylindrical nanoshells subjected to compressive and thermal loads. The model applies Eringen's nonlocal differential constitutive relation to describe the size-dependence of nanoshells. Based on Reddy's higher-order shear deformation theory, governing equations are established and solved by separating the variables. The analysis first re-examines the classical buckling of single-walled CNTs. Accurate solutions are established, and it is found that the buckling stress decreases drastically when the nonlocal parameter reaches a certain value. For CNTs with constant wall-thickness, the buckling stress eventually decreases with enhanced size effect. By comparing with CNTs molecular dynamic simulations, the obtained nonlocal parameters are much smaller than those proposed previously. Subsequently, FG cylindrical nanoshells are analyzed, and it is concluded that similar behavior that has been observed for CNTs is also valid for FG cylindrical nanoshells. The paper further discusses in detail the effects of different geometric parameters, material distribution, and temperature field.