The size effects that reveal the dramatic changes of mechanical behaviour at nanoscales have traditionally been analysed for regular beam systems. Here, the method of using finite-element analysis is explored with the intention of evaluating the size effects for complex nanostructures. The surface elasticity theory and generalized Young-Laplace equation are integrated into a beam element to acc...

We consider the dynamical one-dimensional Mindlin-Timoshenko system for beams. We analyze how its controllability properties depend on the modulus of elasticity in shear k. In particular we prove that the exact boundary controllability property of the Kirchhoff system may be obtained as singular limit, as k → ∞, of the partial controllability of a sharp subspace of low frequency components of t...

In this paper, we introduce a new class of discontinuous Galerkin methods for Timoshenko beams. The main feature of these methods is that they can be implemented in an efficient way through a hybridization procedure which reduces the globally coupled unknowns to approximations to the displacement and bending moment at the element boundaries. After displaying the methods, we obtain conditions un...

In this paper a new method of fabricating cylindrical resin microcantilevers using the Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM) technique of Micro-stereolithography (MSL) is described. The method is rapid and commercially viable, allowing the fabrication of atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilevers which exhibit much larger spring constants than those currently commercial available. This allows for e...

In this paper, the dynamic response of an axially moving viscoelastic beam with simple supports is calculated analytically based on Timoshenko theory. The beam material property is separated to shear and bulk effects. It is assumed that the beam is incompressible in bulk and viscoelastic in shear, which obeys the standard linear model with the material time derivative. The axial speed is charac...

In this paper, bending analysis of concentric and eccentric beam stiffened square and rectangular plate using the meshless collocation method has been investigated. For detecting the governing equations of plate and beams, Mindlin plate theory and Timoshenko beam theory have been used, respectively, with the stiffness matrices of the plate and the beams obtained separately. The stiffness matric...

This paper presents a numerical study on optimal voltages and optimal placement of piezoelectric actuators for shape control of beam structures. A finite element model, based on Timoshenko beam theory, is developed to characterize the behavior of the structure and the actuators. This model accounted for the electromechanical coupling in the entire beam structure, due to the fact that the piezoe...