Nonlinear Dyn

DOI 10.1007/s11071-014-1255-y

ORIGINAL PAPER

Nonlinear vibrations of a single-walled carbon nanotube

for delivering of nanoparticles
Keivan Kiani

Received: 9 April 2013 / Accepted: 13 January 2014

Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Abstract The capability of carbon nanotubes (CNTs)

in efficient transporting of drug molecules into the biological cells has been the focus of attention of various scientific disciplines during the past decade. From
applied mechanics points of view, translocation of a
nanoparticle inside the pore of a CNT would result
in vibrations. The true understanding of the interactive forces between the moving nanoparticle and the
inner surface of the CNT is a vital step in factual
realization of such vibrations. Herein, by employing
the nonlocal Rayleigh beam theory, nonlinear vibrations of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)
as nanoparticle delivery nanodevices are studied. The
existing van der Waals interactional forces between
the constitutive atoms of the nanoparticle and those
of the SWCNT, frictional force, and both longitudinal
and transverse inertial effects of the moving nanoparticle are taken into account in the proposed model. The
nonlinear-nonlocal governing equations are explicitly
obtained and then numerically solved using Galerkin
method and a finite difference scheme in the space
and time domains, respectively. The roles of the velocity and mass weight of the nanoparticle, small-scale
effect, slenderness ratio, and vdW force on the maximum longitudinal and transverse displacements as well
as the maximum nonlocal axial force and bending
K. Kiani (B)
Department of Civil Engineering, K.N. Toosi University
of Technology, Valiasr Ave., P.O. Box 19967-15433,
Tehran, Iran
e-mail: k_kiani@kntu.ac.ir; keivankiani@yahoo.com

moment within the SWCNT are examined. In general,

the obtained results reveal that the nonlinear analysis
should be performed when the nanotube structure is
traversed by a moving nanoparticle with high levels of
the mass weight and velocity.
Keywords Single-walled carbon nanotube
(SWCNT) Nanoparticle delivery Nonlinear
vibration Nonlocal Rayleigh beam theory
1 Introduction
Due to the brilliant mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [15] as well as frictionless
nature of their inner surface for conveying fluids flow
[68], they are recognized as superior nanodevices for
nanoparticle delivery [913]. Among various forms
of CNTs, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)
have been broadly investigated because direct comparison between the predicted properties by the theoretical
works and those of experimentally observed data would
be possible [14,15]. In order to control vibrations of
SWCNTs for transporting of nanoparticles, their vibration behaviors due to an individual moving nanoparticle
should be rationally investigated.
Atomic simulations of nanostructures generally take
a lot of time and labor costs. On the other hand, if at least
one dimension of the nanostructure under study is large
enough in compare to other ones, such costs considerably increase. As a result, exploiting alternative efficient techniques in analyzing of such nanostructures

123

K. Kiani

has been the focus of attentions of the nanotechnology community during the past two decades. Nonlocal
continuum field theory of Eringen [16,17] is among
the successful ones, which has been frequently used
for modeling of SWCNTs. To this end, the equivalent
continuum structure (ECS) pertinent to the SWCNT
is considered. The ECS for a SWCNT is an isotropic
hollow cylinder solid whose most of its frequencies
are identical to those of the SWCNT under study. In
nonlocal modeling of the nanostructure, by using a socalled small-scale effect parameter, the existing interatomic bonds between the constitutive atoms of CNTs
are appropriately incorporated into the equations of
motion. For each problem, the small-scale effect parameter is commonly adjusted by comparing the predicted results by the nonlocal model with those of an
atomic model [1821]. In this research work, since only
the longitudinal and transverse vibrations of SWCNTs
due to translocation of nanoparticles are of concern, a
nonlocal beam model is employed. Certainly, if capturing the propagated circumferential waves within the
SWCNT due to the passage of a moving nanoparticle
would be also of interest, nonlocal shell models should
be replaced and then appropriately analyzed.
In the context of nonlocal continuum theory, the
investigations on the effects of small-scale as well as
mass weight and velocity of the moving nanoparticle
on the linear transverse vibrations of SWCNTs were
initiated by Kiani and Mehri [22]. Such studies were
also carried out for double-walled CNTs, and analytical expressions of elastic deformation fields for the
innermost and outermost tubes were obtained [23,24].
In other complementary works, through using nonlocal beam theories, the inertial effects of the moving
nanoparticle were also taken into account in the modeling of the problem [25,26]. Such studies explained
that under what situations the effects of inertial terms
of the moving nanoparticle due to the vibrations of the
hosted nanotube are not negligible at all, and should be
appropriately included in the modeling of the problem.
Simsek [27] examined transversely forced vibrations
of a SWCNT subjected to a moving harmonic force
in the context of nonlocal Euler-Bernoulli beam theory for small deflections. In another work, Simsek [28]
studied laterally small vibrations of microbeams under
action of a moving microparticle on the basis of modified couple stress theory. In the latter two works, the
inertial effects of the moving micro-/nanoparticle were
not considered in the proposed models. There are also

123

some works on the influence of nanoparticle translocation on the small in-plane and out-of-plane vibrations of
nanoplates [2932]. As it is seen, the undertaken works
for the problems of moving nanoparticle-SWCNT
interaction were restricted to small deflections. In some
cases, as it was explored in some details for macro-scale
structures subjected to a moving mass [33], the hypothesis of small displacements may be not reasonable. In
following up this matter, this work is mainly devoted
to answer this question that under what circumstances
the linear analysis (LA) of the problem would be no
longer satisfactory.
In the present scrutinization, nonlinear vibrations
of a SWCNT for transporting a nanoparticle with a
constant velocity are investigated in the framework of
nonlocal continuum theory of Eringen. The interactional forces between the moving nanoparticle and the
vibrating SWCNT are taken into account. To this end,
the mass weight of the nanoparticle, the vdW forces
between the atoms of the moving nanoparticle and
those of the SWCNT, and both the longitudinal and
transverse inertial effects of the moving nanoparticle
are incorporated into the above-mentioned interactive
forces. In the context of large displacements, the equations of motion of the SWCNT are obtained on the
basis of the nonlocal Rayleigh beam theory. Due to
the appearance of the inertial effects in the governing
equations, finding an analytical solution is a very problematic task. Thereby, the Galerkin method and a finite
difference scheme are implemented for discretization
of the nonlinear-nonlocal governing equations in the
space and time domains, respectively. The dynamic
axial and transverse displacements as well as the nonlocal axial and bending moment within the SWCNT acted
upon by a moving nanoparticle are numerically calculated. The effects of the crucial factors on the maximum
values of the elastic field of the SWCNT are inspected
in some detail.

2 Definition and assumptions of the physical

problem
An ECS with simply supported ends acted upon by a
moving nanoparticle is considered as shown in Fig. 1.
The ECS is a hollow isotropic elastic solid of length lb ,
inner/outer radius ri /ro , elasticity modulus E b , crosssectional area Ab , and moment inertia Ib . A moving mass with mass weight mg and constant veloc-

Nonlinear vibrations of SWCNTs for nanoparticle delivery

Fig. 1 a A SWCNT for
delivering of a nanoparticle.
b A simply supported ECS
pertinent to the SWCNT
acted upon by a moving
nanoparticle

(a)

lb
t

n
eme
v
o
of m le
ion opartic
t
c
e
Dir he nan
of t

(b)

lb
v

Mg

xM
ity v enters the hollow space of the SWCNT from the
left-hand side. The location of the moving nanoparticle on the inner surface of the ECS is denoted by
(x M = vt, z M = ri ) where t is the time parameter
(see Fig. 1). Due to the fairly strong attraction forces
between the constitutive atoms of the moving nanoparticle and those of the SWCNT, in which the z direction component of the resultant force is represented
by Fvd W , the moving nanoparticle would be in contact with the inner surface of the SWCNT through the
course of vibration (i.e., 0 t lvb ). The longitudinal
friction force between the outer surface of the moving nanoparticle and the inner surface of the SWCNT,
F f , is assumed to obey the hypothesis of the Coulomb
friction theory. Thereby,


2


F f = k  Mg + Fvd W M DDtu2z 

(x M ,z M )

(1)

D
where k is the kinetic friction coefficient, Dt
2 is
the second material derivative with respect to time,
u z = u z (x, t) is the transverse displacement field of
the ECS, and its longitudinal one is represented by
u x = u x (x, t). By taking into account of both longitudinal and transverse inertial effects of the moving
nanoparticle, the longitudinal and transverse interactional forces at the contact point, which are, respectively, denoted by Fcx and Fcz , are stated by


D2u x
= Ff M
Dt 2 (x M ,z M )


 

D 2 u z  D 2 u x

= M k 
Dt 2 
Dt 2 (x M ,z M )
H (lb x M ),


D2u z
= M g
H (lb x M ),
Dt 2 (x M ,z M )


Fcx

Fcz

(2a)
(2b)

W
where  = g + Fvd
M , and H is the Heaviside function. Based on the Rayleigh beam theory, the longitudinal and the transverse components of the displacement
field would be u x (x, z, t) = u(x, t) zw,x (x, t) and
u z (x, z, t) = w(x, t) where u(x, t) and w(x, t) denote
the longitudinal and the transverse dynamic displacements of the neutral axis of the ECS, and [.],x represents
the first derivative of [.] with respect to x. By introducing such displacements to Eqs. (2a) and (2b), one can
arrive at

 

D 2 w 

Fcx = M k 
Dt 2 
 2

D u
D 2 w,x

(x x M ) H (lb x M ), (3a)
ri
Dt 2
Dt 2


D2w
(x x M ) H (lb x M ), (3b)
Fcz = M g
Dt 2

where represents the Dirac delta function. There are

some notes on using Eqs. (3a) and (3b) that should be
paid attention to by the interested readers:

123

K. Kiani

1. The moving nanoparticle is traveling on a straight

line. Therefore, only the longitudinal and the transverse components of displacements of the SWCNT
are taken into account. For an arbitrary path of
motion of the nanoparticle on the inner surface of
the SWCNT, special treatments should be considered in both modeling and analyzing of the problem
under study.
2. During the course of excitation, the moving nanoparticle would be entirely in contact with the SWCNT.
Therefore, the full inertial effects of the moving
nanoparticle due to the motion of the SWCNT have
been considered. Now, if someone is interested in
studying the separation of the moving nanoparticle
from the inner surface of the SWCNT, the initiation of such a phenomenon could be monitored
by checking the sign of the contact force in the
z direction. When such a positive contact force
becomes negative at a special time, the separation
definitely occurs. During the course of separation,
the particle moves within the gaseous continuum
of the pore of the SWCNT, and we have Fcz = 0.
At such a time interval, the motion of the moving nanoparticle could be readily investigated via
Newtons second law. Due to the vdW interactional
forces as well as the gravitational force, surely, the
moving nanoparticle would touch again the inner
surface of the SWCNT (i.e., reattachment). In this
study, the possibility of separation of the moving
nanoparticle from the inner surface of the SWCNT
will be studied. Furthermore, the role of nonlinearity of the strains, for the case of large deflection of the SWCNT, on such an interesting phenomenon is addressed. However, the phenomenon
of attachmentreattachment is not captured by the
proposed model, since it is assumed that the fairly
strong attraction forces between the constitutive
atoms of the nanoparticle and those of the SWCNT
would prevent the moving nanoparticle from separation.
3. The cause of motion of the nanoparticle has not
been considered, since only the effects of the particle translocation on the vibrations of the nanostructure are of particular interest. Surely, any cause of
movement of the nanoparticle and its interactional
effects with the dynamic displacement field of the
SWCNT would result in more complicated governing equations as well as more difficulties in solving
the governing equations of the problem.

123

In the following part, the derivation of the nonlinearnonlocal governing equations for slender SWCNTs
subjected to a moving nanoparticle will be explained.
For the sake of generality in studying the problem, the
equations of motion are presented in the dimensionless
form. The initial and boundary conditions are imposed
to the equations of motion. For solving the resulting
boundary value problem, the Galerkin method is proposed in the continuing. By application of such a powerful method and using appropriate mode shapes, the
nonlinear governing equations are deduced to the nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Using a
finite difference scheme, the resulting ODEs are solved
in the time domain, and the generated dynamic displacements and forces of the SWCNT due to a moving
nanoparticle are determined.

3 Nonlocal modeling of the problem under study

According to the von-Karman beam theory for the
SWCNT which has been modeled based on the NRBT,
the nonlinear axial strain and stress accounting for
large deflections-small rotations of the ECS are approximated as

1 2
2
u x,x + wx,x
u ,x
x x = u x,x +
2

1
2
zw,x x ,
+ u 2,x + w,x
(4a)
2



1 2
2
u + w,x zw,x x .
x x = E b x x E b u ,x +
2 ,x
(4b)
In the context of nonlocal continuum theory of Eringen, the only nonlocal stress component of the present
model is expressed by [17,3436]
xnlx (e0 a)2 xnlx,x x = x x ,

(5)

where e0 a is called small-scale parameter. The magnitude of this parameter could be determined by comparing the predicted dispersion curves by the proposed
nonlocal model with those of an atomistic-based model.
By multiplying both sides of Eq. (5) by z and z 2 , and
then integrating the resulting statements over the crosssectional area of the ECS, the nonlocal axial force,
Nbnl , and the bending moment, Mbnl , within the ECS
are related to their classical (i.e., local) counterparts as
follows:

Nonlinear vibrations of SWCNTs for nanoparticle delivery

nl
Nbnl (e0 a)2 Nb,x
x = Nb



1 2
2
u + w,x ,
=
x x dA = E b Ab u ,x +
2 ,x
Ab

Nbnl = Nb + (e0 a)2 [b Ab u

(6a)
(e0 a)

= Mb =

Mbnl

nl
Mb,x
x

Ab

z x x dA = E b Ib w,x x .

lb




2
dx,
b Ab u 2 + w 2 + Ib w ,x

(7a)

lb 

1
1 2
2
u ,x +
U (t) =
u + w,x
Nbnl
2
2 ,x
0

w,x x Mbnl dx,

W (t) = (Fcx u x + Fcz u z ) (x x M )


(7b)

(z z M ) d H (lb x M ),

(7c)

where the over-dot sign denotes the derivative with

respect to the time, and  represents the inner surface
region of the ECS. In order to derive the equations of
motion for the problem
at hand, the Hamiltons princit
ple is exploited: t12 (T U + W ) dt = 0, in which
t1 and t2 are two arbitrary times, and is the variation
symbol. Thereby, the nonlocal governing equations are
obtained as
nl
= Fcx (x x M )H (lb x M ),
b Ab u Nb,x


 
nl
Mb,x
b Ab w Ib w ,x x Nbnl w,x
x
,x


= Fcz ri Fcx,x (x x M )H (lb x M ),

(9b)

(6b)

In order to derive the governing equations of the ECS

for delivering a nanoparticle on the basis of the nonlocal
continuum theory, the kinetic energy of the ECS, T (t),
its elastic strain energy, U (t), and the work done by
the exerted forces of the moving nanoparticle on the
ECS, W (t), should be appropriately evaluated. These
parameters are stated as
1
T (t) =
2

(9a)
Fcx (x x M )H (lb x M )],x ,





Mbnl = Mb +(e0 a)2 b Ab w
Ib w ,x x Nbnl w,x
,x



Fcz ri Fcx,x (x x M )H (lb x M ) ,
by substituting Eqs. (9a) and (9b) into Eqs. (8a) and
(8b), one can arrive at



b Ab u (e0 a)2 u ,x x Nb,x = Fcx (x x M )

(10a)
(e0 a)2 (Fcx (x x M )),x x H (lb x M ),




2
2
b Ab w (e0 a) w ,x x b Ib w ,x x (e0 a) w ,x x x x





Nbnl w,x
(e0 a)2 Nbnl w,x
,x
,x x x


Mb,x x = Fcz ri Fcx,x (x x M ) (e0 a)2 ((Fcz

 
ri Fcx,x (x x M ) ,x x H (lb x M ).
(10b)
In order to express Eqs. (10a) and (10b) in terms of only
displacements, from Eqs. (6a) and (6b), Nb and Mb as
a function of displacement components are substituted
into these equations.
 other hand,
 in the context
 On the
of small rotation, Nbnl w,x ,x (e0 a)2 Nbnl w,x ,x x x





2
E b Ab u 2,x + 21 u 2,x + w,x
w,x ,x As a result, from
Eqs. (10a) and (10b), the nonlocal equations of motion
of a SWCNT transporting an individual moving nanoparticle in terms of displacements accounting for large
deflections are obtained as






1 2
2
u ,x + w,x
b Ab u (e0 a)2 u ,x x E b Ab u 2,x +
2
,x


2
= Fcx (x x M )(e0 a) (Fcx (x x M )),x x H (lb x M ),

(11a)





b Ab w (e0 a)2 w ,x x b Ib w ,x x (e0 a)2 w ,x x x x





1 2
2
E b Ab u 2,x +
u ,x + w,x
w,x
2
,x


+E b Ib w,x x x x = Fcz ri Fcx,x (x x M )


 
(e0 a)2 Fcz ri Fcx,x (x x M ) ,x x H (lb x M ).

(8a)

(8b)

by combining Eqs. (6a) and (6b) with Eqs. (8a) and

(8b), the nonlocal axial force and bending moment
within the ECS in terms of ECSs displacements are
derived as,

(11b)
Since only the influence of the exerted forces by the
moving nanoparticle on the deformation field of the
SWCNT is of interest, the initial deflection of the
SWCNT due to its own weight is neglected. Hence,
the following initial conditions are considered,
u(x, t = 0) = 0, w(x, t = 0) = 0.

(12)

123

K. Kiani

In the case of simply supported SWCNT with fixed

movable ends, the following conditions should be
satisfied:
u(x = 0, t) = 0, w(x = 0, t) = w(x = lb , t) = 0,
Nbnl (x = lb , t) = 0, Mbnl (x = 0, t)
= Mbnl (x = lb , t) = 0.

(13)

For more generality, the following dimensionless quantities are introduced:

=
=
=

E b Ib
xM
x
u
w
1
lb , M = lb , u = lb , w = lb , = l 2
b Ab t,
b

glb
lb
e0 a
M
v
,

=
,
M
=
,

=
,

=
lb
rb
b A b l b
CL
CL ,
lb

2
g , = ri , [.] = [.], +2[.], +() [.], ,

(14)
where is a dimensionless operator, rb is thegyration radius of the ECSs cross-section (i.e., rb = AIbb ),
of the longitudinal wave within the
and C L is the speed

Eb
ECS (i.e., C L =
b ). By introducing the dimensionless parameters in Eq. (14) to Eqs. (11), (12),
and (13), the dimensionless nonlinear governing equations of a SWCNT subjected to a moving nanoparticle
based on the nonlocal continuum theory of Eringen are
expressed by:




1 2
u , + w 2,
 u , 2 u 2, +
2
,
 



= M  k  ( )2 w 



1
u w
(x x M ) H (1 M ), (15a)



 w , 2 w ,



1 2
u , + w 2, w ,
+ w,
2 u 2, +
2
,


1  

k  ( )2 w 
= M  ( )2 w



 
1
u w
( M ) H (1 M ),

(15b)
with the following initial and boundary conditions,
u(, = 0) = 0, w(, = 0) = 0,
u( = 0, ) = 0, w( = 0, ) = w( = 1, ) = 0,
nl
N b ( = 1, ) = 0,

nl
nl
M b ( = 0, ) = M b ( = 1, ) = 0,

(16)

123

where the dimensionless operator  is defined by

[.] = [.] 2 [.], . Using Eqs. (9a), (9b), and (14),
the dimensionless nonlocal axial force and bending
moment within the SWCNT subjected to a moving
nanoparticle are calculated in terms of dimensionless
displacements as follows:


1 2
nl
2
2
N b = u , +
u + w ,
2 ,






+2 u , M k  ( )2 w 



1
( M )H (1 M ) ,
u w ,

,
(17a)

nl
2
2
M b = w , + w , w ,

 nl



N b w ,
M ( )2 w
,

1


k  ( )2 w 



 
1
u w ,
( M )H (1 M ) ,

,
(17b)
N nl l 2

nl

nl

M nl l

where N b = Ebb Ibb and M b = Ebb Ibb . Due to the

appearance of both longitudinal and transverse inertial effects of the moving nanoparticle as well as the
existence of the nonlinear terms in the formulations of
the nonlocal equations of motion, seeking an analytical solution to Eqs. (17a) and (17b) is a very problematic task. Thereby, suggestion of an efficient numerical
scheme in solving such equations would be of great
beneficial. In the following part, Galerkin method plus
to a special finite difference scheme is employed for
fulfilling such a crucial job.

4 Solving the coupled nonlinear partial differential

equations of motion of a SWCNT
for nanoparticle delivery
The only unknown dimensionless displacements of the
ECS are discretized in terms of mode shapes as follows:
u(, ) =

NM


iu ( )u i ( ),

i=1

w(, ) =

NM

i=1

iw ( )wi ( ),

(18)

Nonlinear vibrations of SWCNTs for nanoparticle delivery

where iu ( ) and iw ( ) are the ith mode shapes associated with the longitudinal and transverse displacements of the SWCNT, respectively. u i ( ) and wi ( ) in
order are the unknown parameters pertinent to the ith
mode shapes of longitudinal and transverse displacements that should be determined at the required times,
N M is the number of vibrational modes which is considered in the analysis of the problem under study. For
the considered boundary conditions of the SWCNT,
the following mode shape functions are taken into
account [25,26]:
iu ( ) = sin ((i 0.5) ) , iw ( ) = sin (i ) .





w
1 w
1
w

sgn

(
)

(
)
k
M
M
j,
j,

( )2
(22e)
H (1 M ),


wu 

M
w
u
iw ( M ) 2 i,
Mb
=
( M ) j, H (1 M ),
ij

(22f)

1 
 u
 
 u
1 2
1 + u , i,
f b = 2 u , +
u , + w2,
d
i
2
0


u
+ M iu ( M ) 2 i,
( M )
 


w
1

2w, ( M , )
sgn ( )2


2
H (1 M ),

+
w
(
,

)
()
,




2u , ( M , ) + ()2 u , ( M , )

(22g)

(19)


Now both sides of Eqs. (15a) and (15b) are, respectively, multiplied by u and w where denotes the
variational sign. Through integrating of the resulting
relations over the dimensionless space interval [0,1],
and taking the necessary integration by parts, one can
arrive at the following set of ODEs:
Mb x, = f b ,
or


uu

uw

Mb Mb
wu
ww
Mb Mb

(20)


u,
w,


=

fb
w
fb


,

(21)

where
u =< u 1 , u 2 , . . . , u N M >T ,
w =< w1 , w2 , . . . , w N M >T ,

(22a)
(22b)

1 

uu 

u
Mb
=
uj, d
iu uj +2 i,
ij



u
u
+ M iu ( M )2 i,
( M ) j ( M )H (1 M ),




uw 
u
sgn

Mb
= M iu ( M ) 2 i,
(
)
M

ij

w
( )2

k wj ( M )

(22c)


1 w
j, ( M ) H (1 M ),

(22d)
1

ww 
w w
Mb
=
j,
iw wj + 2 i,
ij


w
w
+ 2 i,
d
j,


w
+ M iw ( M ) 2 i,
wj ( M )
( M )
+

w w
j,
i,


w

fb

1 
=

w
u , +
2 w, i,

1 2
u
2 ,




w
w
2 w
+ w, i,
d + M i ( M ) i, ( M )



( )2 + 2w, ( M , ) + ()2 w, ( M , ) ,






1 12 + k sgn w2

( )


1

+ 2u , ( M , ) + ()2 u , ( M , ) ,

+ w 2,



H (1 M ).

(22h)

In order to evaluate the unknown parameters of

Eq. (21) at each time, let y = x, . Therefore, Eq. (20)
could be rewritten as,
z, = f,

M

 
y
Mb

,M=
z=
x
0


 
0
f

,f= b ,
y
I

(23)

where I is the identity matrix. For discretizing Eq. (23)

in the time domain, the finite difference method is
exploited. For this purpose, z, is approximated by
zi
z, = zi+1
 , where  = i+1 i , zi = z(i ),
and zi+1 = z(i+1 ). By substituting such a discretized
form of z, into Eq. (23),
' i+1 Mz
' i  '
Mz
f = 0,

i+1 ,
'
M = (1 ) Mi + M
'
f = (1 ) fi + fi+1 ,

(24)

where is the weight parameter of time, and its value

is commonly considered in the range of 0 1. In all
calculations, the value of this parameter is set equal
to 0.7. By employing Newtons method for calculating
zi+1 in Eq. (24) at each time step,

123

K. Kiani

i+1 = f,

Kz
 
=M
'  '
K
f,z z=zold ,
i+1
' zold + M
' zi +  '
f = M
f,
i+1
new
old
zi+1
,
zi+1 = zi+1

nl =
and MbN

(25)

5 Results and discussion

To show the capabilities of the proposed model in
predicting dynamic response of SWCNTs due to the
nanoparticle delivery, a fairly comprehensive parametric study is carried out in accordance with the NA
explained in Sect. 4. The limitations of the LA in predicting the elastic field of the SWCNT due to a moving
nanoparticle are also of particular interest. To this end,
consider a SWCNT acted upon by a moving nanoparticle with the following data [37]: ri = 1 nm, ro =
1.34 nm, b = 2500 kg/m3 , E b = 1 TPa, =
2, and k = 0.3. In the following parts, the influences
of mass weight and velocity of the moving nanoparticle, vdW interactional force, and small-scale parameter on the maximum axial displacement and nonlocal
axial force as well as the maximum deflection and nonlocal bending moment of the SWCNT subjected to a
moving nanoparticle are examined in some details. In
order to study the problem in a more reasonable framework, the following normalized fields are introduced:
u
u max,st ,

wN =

w
w max,st ,

nl =
NbN

Fig. 2 Convergence check

of the proposed numerical
model; (e0 a = 1 nm, =
20, M = 0.1, VN = 0.3)

nl

Nb

N max,st

In these relations, u max,st and

N max,st denote the maximum dimensionless values of

axial displacement and local axial force due to the statically applied frictional force at the midspan point of
the SWCNT, respectively. Additionally, w max,st and
M max,st represent the maximum dimensionless values
of deflection and local bending moment due to the statically applied weight of the nanoparticle at the midspan
point of the SWCNT, respectively. Since the effects of
the interested parameters on the maximum elastic fields
of the SWCNT are of particular concern, the maximum
values of the above-mentioned normalized fields are,
nl
respectively, denoted by u N ,max , w N ,max , NbN
,max ,
nl
and MbN ,max .
To show the efficiency of the proposed methodology, a convergence study is performed. For this
purpose, the relative errors of the maximum normalized transverse displacement and normalized nonlocal
=
bending
moment are defined by er el,w

 w N ,max w N ,max (N M=15) 
and
e
=


r el,M
 nl w N ,maxnl(N M=15)

 MbN ,max MbN ,max (N M=15) 

. In Fig. 2, the plotted
nl


MbN
(N M=15)
,max
results of er el,w and er el,M as a function of N M are
provided. As it is seen in Fig. 2, the predicted relative
errors of both maximum transverse displacement and
nonlocal bending moment of the SWCNT acted upon
by a moving nanoparticle would decrease as the number
of mode shapes increases. Furthermore, for fairly high
levels of N M, the effect of the vibration mode number
on the above-mentioned relative errors would reduce.
Such a scrutiny reveals that the proposed numerical
scheme is an effective one in nonlinear dynamic analysis of nanotube structures subjected to moving nanoparticles.

old
where zi+1
is the previous value of zi+1 through the
iteration process. The elements of '
f,z have been given
in Appendix. The unknown parameters in Eq. (25)
are determined by performing iteration process until
new
at each time step.
achieving the accurate results for zi+1

uN =

nl

Mb
.
M max,st

0.06

0.16
0.14

0.05

0.12
rel,M

0.1

0.03

0.08

rel,w

0.04

0.06

0.02

0.04
0.01
0

0.02
3

10

NM

123

15

10

NM

15

Nonlinear vibrations of SWCNTs for nanoparticle delivery

(a)
w ( ,)
N M

Fig. 3 Comparison of the

predicted normalized
transverse displacement
under the moving object by
the proposed model with
those of Lee [38]:
a VN = 0.11,
b VN = 0.5; (M = 0.2,
b
rb = 0.03l
, ( ) LA,
() NA, () Lee [38])

1.2
0.9
0.6
0.3
0

0.25

0.5

0.75

0.25

0.5

0.75

1.8
1.35

w ( ,)

(b)

0.9
0.45
0

For the sake of verification, the predicted results

by the proposed model are compared with those of
Lee [38] in some special cases. Lee [38] studied linearly dynamical responses of simply supported Timoshenko beams which are acted upon by a moving mass.
In order to compare the predicted results by the NRBT
with those of the Timoshenko model, a slender beam
with rlbb = 100
3 is considered. The predicted normalized deflections of the beam under the moving object
versus its dimensionless position have been plotted in
Fig. 3a, b for two levels of the velocity of the moving
object. The predicted results by the proposed model
based on the LA and nonlinear analysis (NA) as well
as those of Lee [38] have been provided in these figures. As it can be seen in Fig. 3a, b, there is a reasonably
good agreement between the linearly predicted results
of the present model and those of Lees model [38] for
most of the positions of the moving object. A more
detailed scrutiny of the plotted results reveals that the
maximum relative error between the predicted normalized deflection by the LA and those of the model of
Lee [38] are limited to 1.5 and 3 percent for VN =0.11
and 0.5, respectively. For the lower level of the velocity
of the moving body, the predicted normalized deflections under the moving body on the basis of the NA
are in line and very close to the predicted values by the
LA. However, for the greater levels of the velocity, the
discrepancies between the results of the LA and those
of the NA are more obvious. As it is seen in Fig. 3b,
the linear model generally overestimates the results of
the nonlinear model. In the following, a comprehensive

parametric study will be presented to determine the limitations of the linear model in predicting the maximum
elastic fields of the SWCNTs subjected to a moving
nano-object.
The time history plots of the displacements and nonlocal forces of the midspan point of the SWCNT used
for a nanoparticle delivery are demonstrated in Figs. 4
and 5 for different levels of the velocity of the nanoparticle. The predicted results have been provided on the
basis of both LA and NA. In these figures, f represents
the dimensionless time of leaving the SWCNT by the
moving nanoparticle. For a low level of the velocity of
the moving nanoparticle (i.e., VN = 0.1), the predicted
results by the LA and those of the NA are coincident
with a good accuracy (see Fig. 4a, 5a). For a fairly low
level of the velocity (i.e., VN = 0.2), the predicted longitudinal displacement and nonlocal axial force of the
midspan point of the SWCNT by the LA and those of
the NA are fairly coincident. The predicted deflection
and nonlocal bending moment of the midspan point of
the SWCNT based on the LA and those of the NA are
roughly close to each other. The discrepancies between
the predicted results by the LA and those of the NA are
more obvious at the locally minimum and maximum
points of the plotted results. As the velocity of the moving nanoparticle increases, the discrepancies between
the predicted results by the LA and those of the NA
magnify. For the normalized axial displacement and
nonlocal axial force, this matter is more apparent during
the course of free vibration as well as at the end of the
course of forced vibration. However, for the normalized

123

(a)

(0.5,)

K. Kiani

u (0.5,)

N nl (0.5,)

(b)
5

u (0.5,)

nl
b

1
/

5
0

(0.5,)

5
0

nl
b

0
5

u (0.5,)

(c)

Nb (0.5,)

10

10
0

nl

u (0.5,)

(d)

10

10

Nb (0.5,)

15
0

15
0

nl

uN (0.5,)

(e)

15

1
/

15

Fig. 4 Time history plots of the normalized axial displacement

and nonlocal axial force of the midspan point of the SWCNT
traversed by a moving nanoparticle for different levels of the

velocity: a VN = 0.1, b VN = 0.3, c VN = 0.5, d VN = 0.7,

e VN = 0.9; ( = 50, M = 0.3, e0 a = 1 nm; ( ) LA,
() NA)

deflection and nonlocal bending moment, such discrepancies are more obvious in both courses of forced and
free vibrations. As it is observed in Figs. 4 and 5, the
peak points of both dynamic displacements and nonlocal forces of the SWCNT move from the first phase to
the second one as the velocity of the moving nanoparticle grows. In the following parts, the influences of both
the velocity and mass weight of the moving nanoparticle on the maximum values of both displacements and
nonlocal forces within the SWCNT acted upon by a
moving nanoparticle are explained.
An interesting study has been conducted to examine the influence of the existing interactional vdW
forces between the constitutive atoms of the nanoparticle and those of the SWCNT on the nonlinear
dynamic response of the SWCNT subjected to a moving nanoparticle. For this purpose, the plots of the pre-

dicted both linear and nonlinear results of the displacements as well as nonlocal forces of the SWCNT are
provided in Fig. 6ac for different levels of the moving nanoparticle velocity. For low levels of the moving
nanoparticle velocity (i.e., VN < 0.1), the normalized
maximum displacements as well as nonlocal axial force
and bending moment within the SWCNT would magnify with the magnitude of the vdW force. The predicted results by the LA are in line with those of the
NA. In such a case, the LA overestimates the results of
the NA with relative error lower than 2.5 %. Furthermore, the discrepancies between the predicted normalized maximum axial displacements as well as nonlocal
axial forces by the LA and those of the NA generally
reduce with the magnitude of the vdW force. However, the discrepancies between the predicted normalized maximum deflections as well as nonlocal bending

123

Nonlinear vibrations of SWCNTs for nanoparticle delivery

Mbnl (0.5,)

wN (0.5,)

(a)
2
0
2

1
0
1

Mb (0.5,)

2
0
2

nl

w (0.5,)
N

(b)

2
0
2

Mb (0.5,)

2
0
2

nl

wN (0.5,)

(c)

2
0
2

Mb (0.5,)

3
0
3

nl

wN (0.5,)

(d)

2
0
2

M nl (0.5,)

2
0

2
0

wN (0.5,)

(e)

/f

/f

Fig. 5 Time history plots of the normalized deflection and nonlocal bending moment of the midspan point of the SWCNT traversed by a moving nanoparticle for different levels of the veloc-

ity: a VN = 0.1, b VN = 0.3, c VN = 0.5, d VN = 0.7, e

VN = 0.9; ( = 50, M = 0.3, e0 a = 1 nm; ( ) LA,
() NA)

moment by the LA and those of the NA would increase

as the magnitude of the vdW force increases. For moderate levels of the moving nanoparticle velocity (i.e.,
VN = 0.3), the predicted values of both axial displacement and nonlocal axial force within the SWCNT by
both the LA and NA linearly magnify with the vdW
force; however, the predicted values of both the deflection and nonlocal bending moment of the SWCNT
slightly vary with the vdW interactional force. For
> 3, the LA can predict both the predicted axial displacements and nonlocal axial forces of the SWCNT
by the NA with relative error lower than 3 %. Nevertheless, the differences between the predicted deflections
as well as nonlocal bending moments by the LA and
those of the NA are in the range of 78.5 %. For a fairly

high level of the moving nanoparticle velocity (i.e.,

VN = 0.5), the discrepancies between the predicted
results by the LA and those of the NA would commonly increase with the magnitude of the vdW force.
Almost for all values of , the NA underestimates the
predicted results by the LA. Based on the NA, the predicted normalized maximum deflections and nonlocal
bending moment reduce with the magnitude of vdW
force.
The effect of mass weight of the nanoparticle on the
vibrations of SWCNTs for nanoparticle delivery is of
interest in this part. The plots of normalized maximum
displacements and nonlocal forces in terms of dimensionless mass of the nanoparticle for different levels
of the nanoparticles velocity have been provided in

123

K. Kiani

bN,max

bN,max

M nl

0.9

1.25

1.7

5
1

1.4

1.8
1.6

5
1

nl

wN,max

N,max

1.45
1.35

(c) 11

N nl

wN,max

6
1

1.55

N,max

(b) 11

nl
MbN,max

bN,max

M nl

1.05

NbN,max

1.1

bN,max

N nl

N,max

1.15

N,max

(a) 11

1.4

Fig. 6 Effect of the vdW interactional force on the maximum

values of normalized displacements and nonlocal forces of the
SWCNT for different levels of the nanoparticles velocity: a

VN = 0.1, b VN = 0.3, c VN = 0.5; [( ) LA, () NA;

= 50, M = 0.3, e0 a = 1 nm]

Figs. 7ae. Regarding the maximum values of dynamical axial displacement as well as nonlocal axial force of
the SWCNT in which acted upon by a moving nanoparticle, for VN 0.3 and all considered levels of the mass
weight of the nanoparticle, the discrepancies between
the predicted results by the LA and those of the NA
are lesser than 5 %. In the case of VN = 0.5, such
discrepancies are lower than 5 % for M 0.25. For
M > 0.25, the discrepancies between the results of the
LA and those of the NA increase with the mass weight
of the moving nanoparticle. For M = 0.5, the NA overestimates the result of the LA with relative error about
25 %. Commonly, the discrepancies between the predicted both axial displacement and nonlocal force by
the NA and those of the LA magnify with the velocity
of the moving nanoparticle. Concerning lateral vibration of the exploited SWCNT for nanoparticle delivery,
for a low level of the moving nanoparticle velocity (i.e.,
VN = 0.1) and the considered range of M, the discrepancies between both the deflection and nonlocal bending moment of the SWCNT by the NA and those of
the LA are lower than 3 %. In such a circumstance, the
predicted results by the LA would be trustable with a
good accuracy. Generally, such discrepancies increase

with the velocity of the nanoparticle, particularly for

those nanoparticles with high values of mass weight
(see Fig. 7d, e). According to the LA, for velocity of
the moving nanoparticle up to VN = 0.5, there exists a
roughly linear relationship between mass weight of the
moving nanoparticle and both values of the normalized
maximum deflection and nonlocal bending moment
within the SWCNT (see Fig. 7be). On the basis of
the NA, the nonlinear variations of such parameters as
a function of the mass weight of the moving nanoparticle are so obvious for VN 0.5.
Another instructive study is carried out to determine
the influence of the moving nanoparticle velocity on the
vibrational behavior of carrying nanoparticle SWCNTs
based on both LA and NA. In the case of M = 0.3 and
e0 a = 1 nm, the predicted displacements and nonlocal forces within the SWCNT in terms of the normalized velocity of the moving nanoparticle are demonstrated in Fig. 8. Irrespective of the initial fluctuations
of the normalized maximum deflection and nonlocal
bending moment (for VN < 0.2), such parameters on
the basis of both the LA and NA would rigorously
increase with the velocity of the moving nanoparticle
up to VN 0.77. Thereafter, their values would dras-

123

Nonlinear vibrations of SWCNTs for nanoparticle delivery

w
0
0

0.25

0.5

nl

2
0.25

2.5
2
1.5
0

0.25

0.5

MbN,max

nl

nl
bN,max

0.5

0.25

0.5

0.25

0.5

0.25

0.5

0.25

0.5

1.6
1.4

4
0.25

10

2
1.5
1
0

0.5

20

0
0

0.5

0.25

3
2

2.5

0.9
0

1.2
0

0.5

2
0

0.5

0.25

nl
MbN,max

nl

0.25

2.5

nl
bN,max

bN,max

N nl

bN,max

N nl

NbN,max

0.95

0.5

0.25

40
20
0
0

1
0

0.5

nl

50

0.5

0.25

2
0

2.5

1.5
0

0.5

0.25

2.4

MbN,max

0.25

1.4

NbN,max

wN,max
wN,max

20

0.5

nl
NbN,max

uN,max

40

0.25

2.6

2.2
0

1.6

1.5
0

0.5

N,max

0.25

wN,max

N,max

u
uN,max

1.1

1.2
0

0.5

10

0
0

(e)

0.25

1.2

1
0

0.5

3.5

0
0

(d)

0.25

3
0

(c)

3.8
3.6
0

(b)

N,max

N,max

uN,max

(a)

0.25

0.5

4
2
0
0

Fig. 7 Effect of the nanoparticles weight on the maximum

values of normalized displacements and nonlocal forces of the
SWCNT for different levels of the nanoparticles velocity: a

VN = 0.1, b VN = 0.3, c VN = 0.5, d VN = 0.7, e

VN = 0.9; [( ) LA, () NA; = 60, e0 a = 1 nm]

tically lessen with the velocity of the moving nanoparticle up to VN = 1. A close scrutiny shows that the
LA overestimates the predicted w N ,max by the NA
with relative error lower than 10 %. For VN < 0.68,
nl
the predicted MbN
,max by the NA are overestimated by
the LA; however, for VN > 0.68, the LA underestinl
mates the predicted MbN
,max by the NA. Excluding the
initial fluctuations of the normalized maximum axial
displacement and nonlocal force for VN < 0.4, their
magnitudes generally increase with the velocity of the
moving nanoparticle up to VN 0.88. Subsequently,
their values would decrease as the velocity of the moving nanoparticle increases. It is also worth mentioning
that the predicted maximum values of the normalized
axial displacement as well as the nonlocal axial force
by the NA are overestimated by the LA with relative
error lower than 10 % for VN < 0.55.
The role of the small-scale parameter on the maximum values of elastic fields of the used SWCNT for

nanoparticle delivery is examined. The pertinent plots

have been provided in Fig. 9ae for different levels of
the velocity of the moving nanoparticle. For VN 0.7,
the predicted values of both normalized deflection and
nonlocal bending moment within the SWCNT magnify with the small-scale parameter, irrespective of the
chosen method for analysis of the problem. Furthermore, the magnitude of the nonlinear-nonlocal axial
force commonly increases as the small-scale parameter increases; however, this fact is not exactly valid for
the predicted nonlocal axial force within the SWCNT
based on the LA (see Fig. 9b, c). Except the case VN =
0.3, the nonlinear normalized maximum axial displacement would increase with the small-scale parameter.
For a high speed moving nanoparticle (i.e., VN = 0.9),
variation of the small-scale parameter has less influence
on the variation of the normalized maximum elastic
fields of the SWCNT acted upon by a moving nanoparticle (see Fig. 9e). Regarding the capabilities of the LA

123

K. Kiani
22

2.2

14

2.4

12

18

1.8

1.4

10

M nl

nl

NbN,max

N,max

uN,max

1.6

bN,max

10
14

1.6

6
1.2

1.2

0.5

VN

0.8

0.5

VN

0.5

VN

0.8

0.5

VN

Fig. 8 Effect of the nanoparticle velocity on the maximum values of normalized displacements and nonlocal forces of the SWCNT;
[( ) LA, () NA; = 50, M = 0.3, e0 a = 1 nm]

in capturing the predicted results of interest by the NA,

the LA could reproduce the normalized maximum elastic fields of the SWCNT on the basis of the NA with
relative error lower than 2 and 10 % for VN = 0.1 and
0.3, respectively. It is worth mentioning that no regular pattern is observed for discrepancies of the results
of the LA and those of the NA in terms of the velocity of the moving nanoparticle. As the magnitude of
the small-scale parameter increases, the discrepancies
between the predicted normalized maximum deflection
by the LA and that of the NA would generally magnify. Except the case VN = 0.9, this fact is also true for
the maximum normalized values of the nonlocal bending moment. For VN = 0.9, the discrepancies between
the predicted normalized maximum nonlocal axial and
bending moment of the SWCNT by the LA and those
of the NA would lessen with the small-scale parameter.
Generally, no regular pattern for the discrepancies of
the results of the LA and those of the NA as a function
of the small-scale parameter is detectable for various
levels of the velocity of the moving nanoparticle.
The influence of the slenderness ratio on the generated displacements and nonlocal forces within the carrying nanoparticle SWCNTs is of interest. The plots of
the longitudinal and transverse displacements as well
as nonlocal axial force and bending moment in terms

123

of the slenderness ratio are provided in Fig. 10ac.

Such plots are provided for three levels of the velocity
of the moving nanoparticle (i.e., VN = 0.1, 0.3, and
0.5). In the case of VN = 0.1 (see Fig. 10a), the normalized displacements and nonlocal forces decrease
as the slenderness ratio of the nanostructure increases.
Further investigations display that the discrepancies
between the predicted results by the NA and those of
the LA would generally lessen with the slenderness
ratio. Regarding the case VN = 0.3 (see Fig. 10b), the
predicted normalized axial force and bending moment
would reduce as the slenderness ratio of the SWCNT
increases. However, such a fact is not generally true for
the longitudinal and transverse displacements. Interestingly, the NA predicts that the maximum normalized
transverse displacement would slightly magnify as the
slenderness ratio increases. Nevertheless, the obtained
results based on the LA show that this parameter would
lessen with the slenderness ratio. Such a fact is more
obvious for VN = 0.5 (see Fig. 10c). Excluding the
normalized maximum longitudinal displacement, the
discrepancies between the predicted results by the LA
and those of the NA would generally reduce as the
slenderness ratio increases. In the case of VN = 0.5
(see Fig. 10c), except the predicted normalized maximum transverse displacement, both LA and NA display

Nonlinear vibrations of SWCNTs for nanoparticle delivery

N,max

30
20
10
0

e a (nm)
0

nl
MbN,max

nl
bN,max

nl
MbN,max

bN,max

3.8

M nl

3.6
1

8
6

4
0

2.5
2
1.5
0

e a (nm)
0

15
10
5
0

e a (nm)
0

0.95
1

1.6
1.4
0

nl
MbN,max

1.9
0

N,max

(e)

bN,max

5
0

2.6

3.4
0

2.1

2.8

0.9
0

M nl

10

nl
bN,max

N,max

15

1.8

2.4
0

1.6
0

uN,max

2.4

5.5

1.4

nl
NbN,max

N,max

1.6

1.2
0

N,max

2.6

2.2
0

nl
NbN,max

N,max

3.5

5
0

(d)

3
0

(c)

1
0

uN,max

(b)

1.1

bN,max

3.7
0

N nl

3.75

1.2

N,max

3.8

N,max

(a)

1.7
1.6
1.5
0
2.3
2.1
1.9
0
2.2
2
1.8
0

e a (nm)
0

Fig. 9 Effect of the small-scale parameter on the maximum

values of normalized displacements and nonlocal forces of the
SWCNT for different levels of the nanoparticles velocity: a

VN = 0.1, b VN = 0.3, c VN = 0.5, d VN = 0.7, e

VN = 0.9; [( ) LA, () NA; = 50, M = 0.3]

that the normalized maximum dynamic response would

decrease with the slenderness ratio. Further, the discrepancies between the results of the NA and those of
the LA would reduce as the slenderness ratio increases.
Among all studied cases, in the case of VN = 0.5, variation of the slenderness ratio has the most influence on
the variation of the maximum dynamic response.
Realizing the accuracy levels of the linear analysis
for the problem under study would be of great importance in practical applications, for instance, SWCNTs
for drug delivery. To this end, a relative error parameter is defined by er el = |[.] L A [.] N A |/|[.] L A |,
where [.] is the parameter under study (i.e., [.] =
nl
nl
u N ,max , or w N ,max , or NbN
,max , or MbN ,max ). In
the plane of VN M, the contour plots pertinent to
the er el = 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.30 are presented for
the normalized maximum displacements and nonlocal
forces in Figs. 11 and 12. The demonstrated results
have been given for three levels of the small-scale para-

meter (i.e., e0 a = 0, 1, and 2 nm). According to the

plotted results in these figures, higher values of both
mass weight and velocity of the moving nanoparticle
would result in more discrepancies between the predicted results by the LA and those of the NA. The region
between two arbitrary contours specifies the zone in
which the LA could estimate the predicted results by
the NA with the relative error in the range of those specific values pertinent to the aforementioned contours.
As it is seen in Figs. 11 and 12, for nearly a half area
of the considered VN M plane, the LA could predict the results of the NA with accuracy lower than 5
percent. The contour lines of deflections and nonlocal bending moments of the SWCNT subjected to a
moving nanoparticle for various small-scale parameters generally pursue the same trend (see Fig. 12a, b).
However, this matter is not exactly true for axial displacement and nonlocal axial force (see Fig. 11a, b).
Higher density of the contour lines implies more sen-

123

K. Kiani

40

20

40

2.5

40

nl
bN,max

nl

40

40

1
20

40

60

40

60

2.5

20
10
0
20

60

60

1.5

60

30

1.5
20

60

nl

10

40

2
20

60

NbN,max

15

1
20

60

nl

1.4

60

40

MbN,max

nl
bN,max

1.6

N,max

40

1.2

3
2
20

60

1.8

0
20

bN,max

1
20

60

1.4

MbN,max

40

1.05

N,max

N,max

3
20

(c)

1.1

uN,max

(b)

N nl

3.5
20

1.15
N,max

uN,max

(a) 4.5

40

60

1.5
20

Fig. 10 Effect of the slenderness ratio on the maximum values of normalized displacements and nonlocal forces of the SWCNT for
different levels of the nanoparticles velocity: a VN = 0.1, b VN = 0.3, c VN = 0.5; [( ) LA, () NA; M = 0.3, e0 a = 1 nm]

(b)

0.5

0.1

0
0 .3
0.1.2

VN

0.05

0.3
0.2

0.5

0.75

0.1 5
0.0

0.75

0.3
0.2
0.1
0.05

(a) 1
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.05

Fig. 11 Contour plots of

erel for: a Normalized
maximum longitudinal
displacement, b Normalized
maximum nonlocal axial
force; ((...) e0 a = 0,
( ) e0 a = 1 nm, ()
e0 a = 2 nm; = 50)

.05

0.05

0.05
0.25

0.05

0.25

0.

05

0
0

0.25

sitivity of the accuracy level to the variation of both

mass weight and velocity of the moving nanoparticle.
According to Fig. 11a, b, for a moving nanoparticle
with M = 0.5, the variation of the velocity of the

123

0.5

0
0

0.25

0.5

moving nanoparticle in the range of 0.50.6 has the

most influence on the variation of the normalized maximum axial displacement as well as the nonlocal axial
force.

Nonlinear vibrations of SWCNTs for nanoparticle delivery

(b)

0.1

0.05

0.05

(a)

0.05

0.75

05

0.0

0.05

0.1

0.5

0.1

0.25

0.05

VN

0.5

0.
1

0.

0.75

0.25

0.3 .2
0

Fig. 12 Contour plots of

erel for: a Normalized
maximum deflection,
b Normalized maximum
nonlocal bending
moment; ((...) e0 a = 0,
( ) e0 a = 1 nm, ()
e0 a = 2 nm; = 50)

0.25

0.5

0.05

0.25

6 Conclusions
Nonlinear longitudinal and transverse vibrations of
SWCNTs for nanoparticle delivery are explored via the
nonlocal Rayleigh beam theory. Without considering
the cause of motion of the nanoparticle, it is assumed
that the nanoparticle slips on a straight path on the inner
surface of the SWCNT. By considering the interactional vdW forces between the constitutive atoms of the
nanoparticle and those of the SWCNT, a simple frictional model is employed. Both longitudinal and transverse inertial effects of the moving nanoparticle are
incorporated into the interactional forces. By making
some reasonable assumptions, the nonlocal governing
equations of the model are constructed. The resulting
nonlinear-coupled equations of motion are solved via
Galerkin approach. The influences of the velocity and
the mass weight of the nanoparticle, the vdW interactional force, the small-scale parameter, and the slenderness ratio on the maximum elasto-dynamic fields of
the SWCNT are addressed in some detail. The major
obtained results are as
1. As the velocity and the mass weight of the moving
nanoparticle magnify, the discrepancies between
the predicted results by the LA and those of the
NA would increase.
2. The maximum longitudinal displacement as well
as nonlocal axial force within the SWCNT would
increase as the vdW force between the moving nanoparticle and the nanotube intensifies. For
lower levels of the velocity, both maximum trans-

0.5

verse displacement and nonlocal bending moment

would increase as the magnitude of the vdW force
increases. However, for higher velocities, these
parameters would decrease with the vdW force.
Further, the discrepancies between the results of
the LA and those of the NA would magnify with
the vdW force.
3. Generally, the discrepancies between the results of
the LA and those of the NA would decrease as the
slenderness ratio of the SWCNT increases.
4. For moderate levels of the velocity of the moving
nanoparticle, the maximum elasto-dynamic fields
of the SWCNT would generally increase with the
small-scale parameter. However, for high levels of
the moving nanoparticle velocity, variation of the
small-scale parameter has a trivial influence on the
variation of the elasto-dynamic fields of the carrier
SWCNT.

Appendix
The constitutive submatrices of the matrix'
f,z with their
elements are as,

u
u


f b
f b
f
f
f
u, w,
'
f,z = y x ;
= w
w ,
f b
f b
y
I 0

u
f b

f
= uw
f b
x
u

u
f b

w
w
f b
w

u,

w,

(26)

123

K. Kiani

where denotes the sign of partial derivative. The elef

f
and y
are calculated as folments of the matrices x
lows


f b
u

1
=

ij



u
2 1 + 3u , + 0.5w 2, i,
uj, d


M () iu ( M )

u
u
2 i,
( M ) j, ( M )H (1 M ),
2


u

f b
w

1
=

ij

(27b)

M ()2  w
i ( M )


w
u
(27c)
2 i,
( M ) j, ( M )H (1 M ),
 w
f b
=
w
ij



2 u + 0.5u 2 + 1.5w 2 + 0.5w

,
,
1
,
,

w w
d

 i, j, + 


2
2
w
w
0
1 + u , + 0.5 u , + w , i, j,
  1

w
+ M ()2 iw ( M ) 2 i,
(
)
M
2


k
w

wj, ( M )
sgn

( )2

wj, ( M ) H (1 M ),
(27d)
 u 

f b
= 2 M iu ( M )
u,
ij

2 u
i, ( M ) uj, ( M )H (1 M ),
(27e)
 u 

f b
1
= 2 M
sgn (
w,

ij
 

w
u
2 u
(
)

(
)
wj, ( M )H (1 M ),

M
M
i
i,

( )2
w

f b
u,


ij

(27f)
2 M  w
=
i ( M )

123


  1
w
= 2 M iw ( M ) 2 i,
(
)
M
2
ij


k
w
wj, ( M )

sgn
2

( )

wj, ( M ) H (1 M ).
(27h)
w

f b
w,

References

(27g)

(27a)


u
2 i,
w, wj,



w , wj, 1 + u , d


u
w
+M ()2 iu ( M ) 2 i,
( M ) j, ( M )



1
w
H (1 M ),
sgn

( )2
 w
1

f b
= uj, w , wj,
u
ij
0


2
w
+ w , j, 1 + u , d
+3


w
u
2 i,
( M ) j, ( M )H (1 M ),

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123