The present study has theoretically investigated the combined torsional buckling behavior of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with consideration of scale effect in the multi-field coupling condition. The generalized governing equation of buckling for CNTs subjected to thermo-electro-mechanical loadings has been established based on an elastic shell model of continuum mechanics, in which scale effect is taken account of through the nonlocal elasticity theory. Except the applied torque and torsion-related axial load, the Van der Waals forces between adjacent nanotubes, as well as effects of temperature change and voltage load, is taken into consideration at the meantime. Numerical experiments are conducted to demonstrate the influences of different factors. The conclusions provided herein will be helpful and valuable for the dependent designs and related applications of CNT-based nano-structures serving in the complex thermal and electrical environment.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.