Nonlinear dynamics of electrically actuated carbon nanotube resonators

This work presents an investigation of the nonlinear dynamics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) when actuated by a dc load superimposed to an ac harmonic load. Cantilevered and clamped-clamped CNTs are studied. The carbon nanotube is described by an Euler-Bernoulli beam model that accounts for the geometric nonlinearity and the nonlinear electrostatic force. A reduced-order model based on the Galerkin method is developed and utilized to simulate the static and dynamic responses of the carbon nanotube. The free-vibration problem is solved using both the reduced-order model and by solving directly the coupled in-plane and out-of-plane boundary-value problems governing the motion of the nanotube. Comparison of the results generated by these two methods to published data of a more complicated molecular dynamics model shows good agreement. Dynamic analysis is conducted to explore the nonlinear oscillation of the carbon nanotube near its fundamental natural frequency (primary-resonance) and near one-half, twice, and three times its natural frequency (secondary-resonances). The nonlinear analysis is carried out using a shooting technique to capture periodic orbits combined with the Floquet theory to analyze their stability. The nonlinear resonance frequency of the CNTs is calculated as a function of the ac load. Subharmonic-resonances are found to be activated over a wide range of frequencies, which is a unique property of CNTs. The results show that these resonances can lead to complex nonlinear dynamics phenomena, such as hysteresis, dynamic pull-in, hardening and softening behaviors, and frequency bands with an inevitable escape from a potential well.