In this paper, the snap-through buckling of an initially curved microbeam subject to an electrostatic force, accounting for fringing field effect, is investigated. The general governing equations of the curved microbeam are developed using Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and used to develop a new criterion for the snap-through buckling of that beam. The size effect of the microbeam is accounted for...

In a nematic gel we observe a low-energy buckling deformation arising from soft and semisoft elastic modes. We prepare the self-assembled gel by dissolving a coil-side-group liquid-crystalline polymer-coil copolymer in a nematic liquid crystal. The gel has long network strands and a precisely tailored structure, making it ideal for studying nematic rubber elasticity. Under polarized optical mic...

The Layerwise Shell Theory is used to model discretely stiffened laminated composite plates and cylindrical shells for stress, vibration, pre-buckling and post-buckling analyses. The layerwise theory reduces a 3-D problem to a 2-D problem by expanding the 3-D displacement field as a function of a surface-wise 2-D displacement field and a 1-D interpolation polynomial through the shell thickness....

However, recent calculations at higher levels of theory (second order MøllerPlesset perturbation theory) and with van der Waals corrected DFT show that the buckling might be an artefact of standard DFT. [ 20,21 ] Without buckling all BNTs are indeed metallic. This feature could make BNTs excellent candidates for future nanometer-scale conducting elements. Recently Liu et al. reported conductivi...

There is a strong requirement for more robust, lighter and cheaper launch vehicle structures. Unstiffened composite cylindrical shells, which are essential to the fabrication of launch vehicle airframes, are prone to buckling and are highly sensitive to imperfections which arise during the manufacturing process. The buckling load is an important characteristic in design, and may vary drasticall...

A recent experiment [Boncheva Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102, 3924 (2005)] introduced the possibility of initiating the self-assembly of a three-dimensional structure from a flat elastic sheet. The ultimate utility of this method for assembly depends on whether it leads to incorrect, metastable structures. Here we examine how the number of metastable states depends on the sheet shape and thi...

Related Articles Bridging the gap between the microand the macro-world of tumors AIP Advances 2, 011204 (2012) Physics of cancer propagation: A game theory perspective AIP Advances 2, 011202 (2012) Compressed microtubules: Splitting or buckling J. Appl. Phys. 111, 064701 (2012) Dynamic density functional theory of solid tumor growth: Preliminary models AIP Advances 2, 011210 (2012) Macroion sol...

This article presents Navier type closed-form solutions for static bending, elastic buckling and free vibration analysis of symmetric functionally graded (FG) sandwich beams using a hyperbolic shear deformation theory. The beam has FG skins and isotropic core. Material properties of FG skins are varied through the thickness according to the power law distribution. The present theory accounts fo...

We give results of large deflection experiments involving the bending and twisting of 1 mm diameter nickel-titanium alloy rods, up to 2 m in length. These results are compared to calculations based on the Cosserat theory of rods. Details of this theory, formulated as a boundary value problem are presented. The mathematical boundary conditions model the experimental set up. The rods are clamped ...