The classical continuum theory cannot be directly used to describe the behavior of nanostructures because of their size-dependent attribute. Surface stress effect is one of the most important size dependencies of structures at this submicron size, which is due to the high surface to volume ratio of nanoscale domain. In the present study, the nonclassical governing differential equation together with corresponding boundary conditions are derived using Hamilton's principle, into which the surface energies are incorporated through the Gurtin-Murdoch elasticity theory. The model developed herein contains intrinsic length scales to take the size effect into account and is used to analyze the free vibration response of circular nanoplates including surface stress effect. The generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method is employed to discretize the governing size-dependent differential equation along with simply supported and clamped boundary conditions. The classical and nonclassical frequencies of circular nanoplates with various edge supports and thicknesses are calculated and are compared to each other. It is found that the influence of surface stress can be different for various circumferential mode numbers, boundary conditions, plate thicknesses, and surface elastic constants.
Size dependency of the elastic modulus of ZnO nanowires: Surface stress effect
