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Non-local elastic plate theories

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Non-local elastic plate theories

Pin Lu, P.Q Zhang, H.P Lee, C.M Wang and J.N Reddy
Proc. R. Soc. A 2007 463, 3225-3240
doi: 10.1098/rspa.2007.1903

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Proc. R. Soc. A (2007) 463, 32253240

doi:10.1098/rspa.2007.1903
Published online 25 September 2007

Non-local elastic plate theories

B Y P IN L U 1,2, * , P. Q. Z HANG 1 , H. P. L EE 2,3 , C. M. W ANG 3
3
AND J. N. R EDDY
1

Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of

China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, Peoples Republic of China
2
Institute of High Performance Computing, 1 Science Park Road,
01-01 The Capricorn, Science Park II, Singapore 117528,
Republic of Singapore
3
Engineering Science Programme, National University of Singapore,
Block E3A, 04-17, 7 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117574,
Republic of Singapore

A non-local plate model is proposed based on Eringens theory of non-local continuum

mechanics. The basic equations for the non-local Kirchhoff and the Mindlin plate
theories are derived. These non-local plate theories allow for the small-scale effect which
becomes signicant when dealing with micro-/nanoscale plate-like structures. As
illustrative examples, the bending and free vibration problems of a rectangular plate
with simply supported edges are solved and the exact non-local solutions are discussed in
relation to their corresponding local solutions.
Keywords: non-local continuum mechanics; Kirchhoff plate theory;
Mindlin plate theory; size effects; microelectromechanical systems;
nanoelectromechanical systems

1. Introduction
Size-dependent theories of continuum mechanics have received increasing
attention in recent years due to the need to model and analyse very smallsized mechanical structures and devices in the rapid developments
of micro-/nanotechnologies. One of the well-known models is the non-local
elasticity theory (Kroner 1967; Eringen 1983, 2002). This non-local theory has
been applied to solve wave propagation, dislocation and crack problems. The
theory includes scale effects and long-range atomic interactions so that it can
be used as a continuum model for atomic lattice dynamics. Therefore, this
continuum theory on one hand is suitable for modelling submicro- or nanosized
structures, while on the other hand it avoids enormous computational efforts
when compared with discrete atomistic or molecular dynamics simulations
(Sun & Zhang 2003; Zhang & Sun 2004). Owing to the aforementioned
* Author and address for correspondence: Institute of High Performance Computing, 1 Science
Park Road, 01-01 The Capricorn, Science Park II, Singapore 117528, Republic of Singapore
(lupin@ihpc.a-star.edu.sg).
Received 20 March 2007
Accepted 4 September 2007

3225

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3226

P. Lu et al.

advantages, several researchers have applied the non-local continuum theory for
the mechanical analysis of micro- and nanostructures in more recent years
(Peddieson et al. 2003; Sudak 2003; Wang & Hu 2005; Zhang et al. 2005; Lu et al.
2006a; Xu 2006; Wang et al. 2006; Reddy 2007). However, most of these studies
focused on one-dimensional beam-like structures.
In modelling micro- or nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS or NEMS) and
devices, some mechanical componentssuch as thin lm elements (Freund &
Suresh 2003), nanosheet resonators (Bunch et al. 2007), paddle-like resonators
(Evoy et al. 1999; Lobontiu et al. 2006) and two-dimensional suspended
nanostructures (Tighe et al. 1997; Zalalutdinov et al. 2006)have to be modelled
as a two-dimensional plate-like structure. For this purpose, the non-local plate
theories are studied herein. Based on the non-local elasticity model, pioneered by
Eringen (1983, 2002), the general governing equations for a thin plate can be
derived by integrating the equations of motion for the non-local linear elasticity
through the thickness. With the proper assumptions for displacement
components, specic plate theories can be further obtained. Considered herein
are two well-known plate theories: the Kirchhoff plate theory and the Mindlin
plate theory. The Kirchhoff plate theory is a thin-plate theory that neglects the
effect of transverse shear deformation, whereas the Mindlin plate theory is a rstorder shear-deformable plate theory that incorporates this effect which becomes
signicant in thick plates and shear-deformable plates. Based on these two nonlocal plate model versions, the bending and vibration problems of a rectangular
plate with simply supported edges are solved in order to examine the effect of
small scale on the bending and vibration solutions.

2. Non-local elastic plate model

(a ) Review of non-local elasticity theory
For non-local linear elastic solids, the equations of motion have the form
(Eringen 1983, 2002)
tij;j C fi Z r
ui;
2:1
where r and fi are, respectively, the mass density and the body (and/or applied)
forces; u i is the displacement vector; and tij is the stress tensor of the non-local
elasticity dened by

tij x Z ajx 0 Kxjsij x 0 dvx 0 ;

2:2
V

in which x is a reference point in the body; ajx 0 Kxj is the non-local kernel
function; and sij is the local stress tensor of classical elasticity theory at any
point x 0 in the body and satises the constitutive relations
2:3
sij Z cijkl 3kl and 3kl Z uk;l C ul;k =2;
for a general elastic material, in which cijkl are the elastic modulus components
with the symmetry properties cijklZcjiklZcijlkZcklij, and 3kl is the strain tensor. It
should be emphasized here that the boundary conditions involving tractions are
based on the non-local stress tensor tij and not on the local stress tensor sij.
The properties of the non-local kernel ajx 0 Kxj have been discussed in detail
by Eringen (1983). When a(jxj) takes on a Greens function of a linear
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Non-local elastic plate theories

3227

differential operator L, i.e.

2:4
Lajx 0 Kxj Z djx 0 Kxj;
the non-local constitutive relation (2.2) is reduced to the differential equation
Ltij Z sij
2:5
and the integro-partial differential equation (2.1) is correspondingly reduced to
the partial differential equation
sij;j C Lfi Kr
u i Z 0:
2:6
By matching the dispersion curves with lattice models, Eringen (1983, 2002)
proposed a non-local model with the linear differential operator L dened by
2:7
L Z 1Ke 0 a2 V2 ;
where a is an internal characteristic length (lattice parameter, granular size or
molecular diameters) and e0 is a constant appropriate to each material for
adjusting the model to match some reliable results by experiments or other
theories. Therefore, according to (2.3), (2.5) and (2.7), the constitutive relations
with this kernel function may be simplied to
1Ke 0 a2 V2
tij Z cijkl 3kl :
2:8
For simplicity and to avoid solving integro-partial differential equations,
the non-local elasticity model, dened by the relations (2.5)(2.8), has
been widely adopted for tackling various problems of linear elasticity and
micro-/nanostructural mechanics.
(b ) Plate equations of non-local elastic model
The foregoing non-local elastic model can be extended to two-dimensional
thin-plate structures. Consider a thin plate with a constant thickness h. A
Cartesian coordinate system xi (iZ1, 2, 3) is introduced so that the axes x 1 and
x 2 lie in the mid-plane of the plate. Since the thickness of the plate is very small
when compared with the other two dimensions, it is assumed that s33Z0 in the
considered plate theories. The constitutive relations (2.3) can thus be reduced to
2:9
sab Z c^abur 3ur and sa3 Z 2ca3u3 3u3 ;
where
2:10
c^abur Z cabur K cab33 c33ur =c3333
are the reduced elastic modulus components.
The non-local resultant forces Nij and the non-local resultant moments Mij are
dened as
h=2
h=2
Nij Z
tij dx 3 and Mij Z
tij x 3 dx 3 :
2:11
Kh=2

Kh=2

The global governing equations of the plate structures can be derived by

integrating the equations of motion (2.1) through the thickness (Lu et al. 2006b).
By multiplying equation (2.1) by dx 3, then integrating through the thickness and
noting (2.11)1, we have
h=2
Nia;a C pi Z
r
u i dx 3 ;
2:12
Kh=2

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3228

P. Lu et al.

h=2
where pi Z Kh=2 fi dx 3 . Furthermore, multiplying equation (2.1) by x 3 dx 3
followed by integrating through the thickness and noting (2.11)2, we have
h=2
Mib;b K Ni3 Z
r
u i x 3 dx 3 :
2:13
Kh=2

Since the equation with iZ3 in equation (2.13) has no physical application, it is
omitted in the remaining part of the derivations.
By applying the linear differential operator (2.7) and the differential equations
(2.5) to equation (2.11), we have
1Ke 0 a2 V2
Nij Z NijL
NijL

and 1Ke 0 a2 V2
Mij Z MijL ;

2:14

MijL

and
are the local (classical) resultant forces and the local resultant
where
moments dened by
h=2
h=2
sij dx 3 and MijL Z
sij x 3 dx 3 :
2:15
NijL Z
Kh=2

Kh=2

Furthermore, by applying the operator to equations (2.12) and (2.13), we obtain

the general equations of motion for the non-local plate model as
h=2
h=2
L
Nib;b
ZK1Ke 0 a2 V2
pi C Kh=2 r
u i dx 3 Ke 0 a2 Kh=2 V2 r
u i dx 3 and
2:16
h=2
h=2
L
L
Mab;b
KNa3
Z Kh=2 r
u a x 3 dx 3 Ke0 a2 Kh=2 V2 r
u a x 3 dx 3 :
The differential operator V2 in (2.16) is the three-dimensional Laplace operator
in general. For thin-plate models, it may be reduced to the two-dimensional
Laplace operator by ignoring the differential component with respect to x 3, i.e.
V2 Z v2 =vx 21 C v2 =vx 22 . With this approximation, the equations of motion (2.16)
become



h=2
L
Nib;b
ZK1Ke 0 a2 V2
pi K Kh=2 r
u i dx 3
and
2:17
h=2
L
L
KNa3
Z 1Ke 0 a2 V2
Kh=2 r
u a x 3 dx 3
Mab;b
and the non-local resultant force and moment tensors, Nij and Mij, respectively,
in (2.11) can be simplied as

Nij x Z A ajx 0 KxjNijL x 0 dAx 0 and

2:18

Mij x Z A ajx 0 KxjMijL x 0 dAx 0 ;

where the integrals are taken along the mid-plane A of the plate, NijL and MijL are
given in (2.15). The two-dimensional non-local kernel ajx 0 Kxj in equation
(2.18) can be dened to satisfy the relation (2.4), in which the differential
operator is as given in equation (2.7) instead of a two-dimensional Laplace
operator, i.e. LZ 1Ke 0 a2 v2 =vx 21 C v2 =vx 22 . This approximation is acceptable
for plates with very small thicknessspan ratios. For thick-plate models, the
exact expressions (2.11) and (2.16) may be required.
The later derivations for the thin-plate models are based on the simplied
equations (2.17) and (2.18). Beginning from equations (2.11) and (2.16), the
derivations can be shown to arrive at the same formulations, but the non-local
resultant force and moment tensors are dened by equation (2.11) and not by
equation (2.18).
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Non-local elastic plate theories

3. Basic equations for two plate theories

Equations (2.9)(2.18) are the general equations of the non-local plate model.
For different plate theories, the related equations of motion can be obtained by
substituting the assumed displacement components u i into these equations.
There are a number of plate theories, of which the most commonly used are the
Kirchhoff and the Mindlin plate theories. The basic equations of these two plate
theories are derived in this section based on the foregoing non-local relations.
(a ) Kirchhoff plate theory
In the Kirchhoff plate theory, the displacement components are assumed to
have the form
ua Z u 0a K x 3 u 03;a

and u 3 Z u 03 ;

3:1

where u 0i Z u 0i xb ; t is the displacement components of the mid-plane at time t.

The strain components for the plate theory can be obtained by substituting
equation (3.1) into equation (2.3)2 as
3ab Z 30ab C x 3 kab

3:2

and 33a Z 0;

with
30ab Z


1 0
u a;b C u 0b;a
2

and kab ZKu 03;ab :

3:3

The equations of motion for the plate theory can be obtained by substituting
equation (3.1) into equations (2.12) and (2.13), i.e.
Nab;b C pa Z I0 u0a

and

3:4

Mab;ab C p3 Z I0 u03 K I2 u03;aa ;

where
h=2
I0 Z

h=2
r dx 3 Z rh

and I2 Z

Kh=2

rx 23 dx 3 Z

Kh=2

rh 3
:
12

3:5

The boundary conditions are given by either one of each of the following pairs of
conditions being specied:
Nab or u 0a ;

Qa or u 03

and Mab or u 03;a ;

3:6

in which Qa is the effective shear forces as dened by Q1ZM1b,bCM12,2 and

Q2ZM2b,bCM21,1.
L
L
The local resultant forces Nab
and the local resultant moments Mab
for the
Kirchhoff plate theory can be obtained by substituting equations (2.9), (2.10),
(3.2) and (3.3) into equation (2.15) as
L
Nab
Z Aabur 30ur C Babur kur

and

L
Z Babur 30ur C Dabur kur ;
Mab

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3230

P. Lu et al.

where
h=2

h=2
c^abur dx 3 ;

Aabur Z
h=2
Dabur Z

c^abur x 3 dx 3

Babur Z

Kh=2

and

Kh=2

3:8
c^abur x 23

dx 3

Kh=2

are the extensional, the coupling and the bending stiffnesses, respectively. For a
symmetric composite plate, Babur Z 0.
By substituting equations (3.7) and (2.14) into equation (3.4), the equations of
motion for the non-local Kirchhoff plate theory can be expressed in terms of the
displacements as


Aabur u 0u;rb K Babur u 03;urb C 1Ke0 a2 V2
pa K I0 u0a Z 0 and
3:9


Babur u 0u;rab K Dabur u 03;urab C 1Ke0 a2 V2
p3 K I0 u03 Z 0;
in which the mass inertia I2 dened in equation (3.5) is neglected for the
Kirchhoff plate theory. Using the Voigt notation, the plate constants Aabur ,
Babur and Dabur can be converted to the conventional form expressed by two
indices as AIJ, BIJ and DIJ.
(b ) Mindlin plate theory
In the Mindlin plate theory, the displacement components are assumed to
have the form
ua Z u 0a C x 3 ja

and u 3 Z u 03 ;

3:10

where ja Z ja xb ; t are independent variables. The strain components for

the plate theory can be obtained by substituting equation (3.10) into equation
(2.3)2 as

1
3:11
3ab Z 30ab C x 3 31ab and 33a Z u 03;a C ja ;
2
with

1
1
30ab Z u 0a;b C u 0b;a and 31ab Z ja;b C jb;a :
3:12
2
2
The equations of motion of the Mindlin plate theory can be obtained by
substituting equation (3.10) into equations (2.12) and (2.13), thus yielding
Nib;b C pi Z I0 u0i

and

3:13

a:
Mab;b K Na3 Z I2 j

The boundary conditions are given by either one of each of the following pairs of
conditions being specied:
Nib or u 0i
L
Nab

3:14

and Mab or ja :
L
Mab

and the local resultant moments

for the
The local resultant forces
Mindlin plate theory can be obtained by substituting equations (2.9), (2.10),
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3231

Non-local elastic plate theories

(3.11) and (3.12) into equation (2.15) as

L
Z Aabur 30ur C Babur 31ur ;
Nab
L
Mab

Z Babur 30ur

L
N3b
Z 2A3b3r 33r

C Dabur 31ur ;

and
3:15

where the
h=2constants Aabur , Babur and Dabur are given in equation (3.8), and
A3b3r Z Kh=2 c^3b3r dx 3 .
By substituting equations (3.15) and (2.14) into equation (3.13), the equations
of motion for the non-local Mindlin plate theory can be expressed in terms of
displacements as


Aabur u 0u;rb C Babur ju;rb C 1Ke 0 a2 V2
pa KI u0a Z 0;





3:16
A3b3r u 03;rb C jr;b C 1Ke 0 a2 V2
p3 KI u03 Z 0 and


a Z 0:
Babur u 0u;rb C Dabur ju;rb K A3a3r u 03;r C jr K1Ke 0 a2 V2
I2 j

4. Bending and free vibrations of symmetrically orthotropic plates

In order to illustrate the applications of the foregoing non-local plate theories, we
consider the case of symmetrically orthotropic plates for Kirchhoff and Mindlin
plate models. For such plates, the in-plane and the out-of-plane variables are
uncoupled, and only exural deformations are considered in the examples for the
sake of simplicity. The bending and free vibration solutions of a simply
supported, rectangular plate based on both Kirchhoff and Mindlin non-local plate
models are then derived, and are compared with the results based on local
(classical) plate theories.
(a ) Solutions based on Kirchhoff plate theory
For a symmetrical orthotropic plate, the coupling stiffnesses Babur in equation
(3.7) are zero. The constitutive relations for the local bending moments are thus
reduced to
8 L9 2
9
38
>
0 > k11 >
D11 D12
> M11 >
>
<
=
<
=
7 k
6
L
0 5
M22 Z 4 D12 D22
22
>
>
>
>
:
;
>
: L>
;
2k
0
0
D
12
66
M12
9
2
38 u 0
D11 D12
0 >
3;11 >
>
>
<
=
6
7
0
ZK4 D12 D22
0 5 u 3;22
;
4:1
>
>
>
>
:
;
0
0 D66
2u 03;12
in which the subscripts of the bending stiffness components have been written
with two-index Voigt notation. The equation of motion (3.9)2 for bending
becomes


D11 u 03;1111 C 2D12 C 2D66 u 03;1122 C D22 u 03;2222 Z 1Ke 0 a2 V2
p3 K I0 u03 : 4:2
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3232

P. Lu et al.

In the case of cylindrical bending, equation (4.2) reduces to Euler beam-type

equations (Lu et al. 2006a)


D11 u 03;1111 Z 1Ke0 a2 V2
p3 K I0 u03 :
4:3
The boundary conditions for the simply supported edges of the rectangular
plate are dened by
u 03 Z 0;

M11 Z 0

u 03 Z 0;

along edges x 1 Z 0; l 1

M22 Z 0

and

4:4

along edges x 2 Z 0; l 2 :

From (2.14), it follows that these conditions are equivalent to:

u 03 Z 0;

L
M11
Z0

u 03 Z 0;

along edges x 1 Z 0; l 1

L
M22
Z0

and

4:5

along edges x 2 Z 0; l 2 :

Consider the static bending problem of a simply supported plate subjected to a

transverse sinusoidally distributed load given by
4:6
p3 Z P3nm sin 2n x 1 sin hm x 2 ;
where P3nm is a known constant, and
2n Z np=l 1 and hm Z mp=l 2 ;

4:7

with n and m being positive integers. The deection solution that satises the
boundary conditions (4.4) or (4.5) can be assumed to take the form
u 03 Z U3nm sin 2n x 1 sin hm x 2 ;

4:8

in which 2n and hm are dened in equation (4.7), and U3nm is the constant to be
determined. By substituting equations (4.8) and (4.6) into equation (4.2), one
obtains U3nm as
L
K ;
U3nm Z Hnm 2 Unm

where
Hnm Z

q
1 C e 0 a2 22n C h2m

is the non-local effect-related parameter, and

 L 
P3nm
Unm K Z
4
D11 2n C 2D12 C 2D66 22n h2m C D22 h4m

4:9

4:10

4:11

is the value of the maximum transverse displacement based on the local

Kirchhoff plate theory. Since H nmO1, it is clear that the transverse
displacements predicted by the non-local plate theories are generally larger
than those predicted by the classical plate theories as the non-local effect makes
the plate models more exible.
For the free transverse vibration problem of the simply supported, rectangular
plate, the time-dependent displacement solution satisfying the boundary
conditions (4.4) or (4.5) can be assumed to take the form
u 03 Z U3nm sin 2n x 1 sin hm x 2 sin unm t;

4:12

where unm is the related order natural frequency of the transverse vibration, and
2n and hm are dened in equation (4.7). By substituting equation (4.12) into
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Non-local elastic plate theories

equation (4.2) with p3Z0, unm can be obtained as

 L 
unm K
unm Z
;
Hnm
where
s
 L 
D11 24n C 2D12 C 2D66 22n h2m C D22 h4m
unm K Z
I0

3233

4:13

4:14

is the natural frequency based on the Kirchhoff classical plate theory, and Hnm is
the non-local effect-related parameter dened in equation (4.10). The free
vibration and natural frequencies of rectangular plates based on the local
Kirchhoff plate theory were discussed in detail by Leissa (1973).
(b ) Solutions based on Mindlin plate theory
For the symmetrical orthotropic plate, the coupling stiffnesses Babur in
equation (3.15) are also zero. The constitutive relations for the uncoupled local
bending components are thus reduced to
8 L9 2
9
38 j
M11 >
>
>
>
D
0
0
0
1;1
D
11
12
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
7>
> ML >
> 6
>
>
>
>
j
2;2
>
>
>
>
7
6
D
D
0
0
0
22 >
12
22
>
>
>
<
= 6
=
7<
7 j1;2 C j2;1
6
L
0 D66
0
0 7
;
4:15
M12 Z 6 0
>
>
>
7>
6
>
>
>
>
0
>
>
>
>
7
6
>
L >
u 3;2 C j2 >
0
0 A44
0 5>
>
>
>
>
4 0
N23
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
: L ;
:
;
0
0
0
0
0
A
u
C
j
55
1
3;1
N13
in which the strain components 31ab and 33a have been written in the displacement
components according to equations (3.11) and (3.12). The equations of motion
for bending can be obtained from equation (3.16) as


A55 u 03;11 Cj1;1 CA44 u 03;22 Cj2;2 Z 1Ke0 a2 V2
I0 u 03 K p3 ;
1 and
D11 j1;11 CD12 CD66 j2;12 CD66 j1;22 KA55 u 03;1 Cj1 Z1Ke0 a2 V2
I2 j
2:
D66 j2;11 CD66 CD12 j1;12 CD22 j2;22 KA44 u 03;2 Cj2 Z 1Ke0 a2 V2
I2 j
4:16
For the case of cylindrical bending, the equations in (4.16) reduce to the
equations of the non-local Timoshenko beam model (Lu et al. 2007).
The boundary conditions for the simply supported edges of the rectangular
plate are dened by
u 03 Z 0; j2 Z 0; M11 Z 0 along edges x 1 Z 0; l 1 and
4:17
u 03 Z 0; j1 Z 0; M22 Z 0 along edges x 2 Z 0; l 2 :
In view of equation (2.14), it follows that these conditions are equivalent to
L
Z 0 along edges x 1 Z 0; l 1 and
u 03 Z 0; j2 Z 0; M11
4:18
L
Z 0 along edges x 2 Z 0; l 2 :
u 03 Z 0; j1 Z 0; M22
For the free transverse vibration problem, the solutions satisfying the
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3234

P. Lu et al.

boundary conditions (4.17) or (4.18) can be assumed to take the form

u 03 Z U3nm sin 2n x 1 sin hm x 2 sin unm t;
j1 Z J1nm cos 2n x 1 sin hm x 2 sin unm t

4:19

and

j2 Z J2nm sin 2n x 1 cos hm x 2 sin unm t;

where 2n and hn are dened in equation (4.7).
By substituting equation (4.19) into equation (4.16) with p3Z0, we have
2
6
6
4

k11 KI0 Hnm unm 2

k12

k12

k22 KI2 Hnm unm 2

k13

k23

38
9
0
U
>
>
3nm
=
7<
7
Z 0;
J
k23
1nm
5>
>
:
;
J2nm
k33 KI2 Hnm unm 2
4:20
k13

where
k11 Z A55 x2n C A44 h2m ;

k12 Z A55 2n ;

k23 Z D12 C D66 2n hm ;

k13 Z A44 hm ;

k22 Z D11 x2n C D66 h2m C A55

and

4:21

k33 Z D166 x2n C D22 h2m C A44

and Hnm is as given in equation (4.10). By setting the determinant of the
coefcient matrix in equation (4.20) to be zero, one obtains the corresponding
characteristic equation as
Hnm unm 6 C a 1 Hnm unm 4 C a 2 Hnm unm 2 C a 3 Z 0;

4:22

where
a 1 ZK
a2 Z

k11 k22 C k33

K
;
I0
I2

k11 k22 C k11 k33 Kk 212 Kk 213 k22 k33 Kk 223

C
I0 I2
I22

and a 3 ZK

D
;
I0 I22

4:23

D Z k11 k22 k33 C 2k12 k13 k23 K k11 k 223 K k22 k 213 K k33 k 212 :
By solving the characteristic equation (4.22), the frequencies for the xed values
n and m are obtained as
 L 
u1nm M
u1nm Z
;
Hnm
Proc. R. Soc. A (2007)


uL2nm M
u2nm Z
Hnm


uL3nm M
and u3nm Z
;
Hnm

4:24

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3235

Non-local elastic plate theories

where

q
 L 2
2
g a
a 21 K3a 2 cos K 1 ;
u1nm M ZK
3
3
3
q

 L 2
2
g C 2p a 1
a 21 K3a 2 cos
K ;
u2nm M ZK
3
3
3
q
 L 2
2
g C 4p a 1
a 21 K3a 2 cos
K
u3nm M ZK
and
3
3
3
g Z cos K1

4:25

27a 3 C 2a 31 K9a 1 a 2
q ;
2 a 21 K3a 2 3

are the natural frequencies based on the local Mindlin plate theory. It can be seen
that, for each combination of n and m, we obtain three natural frequencies. The
lowest of these corresponds to the mode where the transverse deection
dominates, whereas the other two frequencies are much higher and correspond
to shear modes (Soedel 1993).
The static bending problem of a simply supported rectangular plate under a
sinusoidally distributed transverse load (4.6), based on the non-local Mindlin
plate theory, can be solved similarly. Assume the static displacement
components to take the forms as shown in equation (4.19), but omitting the
time-dependent terms, i.e. by letting sin unm tZ 1. By substituting the static
displacement components into the governing equations (4.16), one obtains the
maximum values of the displacement components as
L
U3nm Z Hnm 2 Unm
M ;

J1nm Z Hnm 2 JL1nm M

and

J2nm Z Hnm 2 JL2nm M ;

4:26

where
L
Unm
M Z

k22 k33 Kk 223

P3nm ;
D

JL2nm M Z

JL1nm M Z

k13 k23 K k12 k33

P3nm
D

k12 k23 K k22 k13

P3nm
D

and
4:27

are the values of the maximal generalized displacement components based on the
local Mindlin plate theory, and k ij and D are dened in equations (4.21) and
(4.23), respectively. Again, it can be seen that the displacements predicted by the
non-local Mindlin plate theory are larger than those predicted by the local
Mindlin plate theory.
(c ) Discussions
For a simply supported rectangular plate, it can be seen from equations (4.13)
and (4.24) that, for given n and m, the ratio between the non-local and the local
frequencies is 1/Hnm for both Kirchhoff and Mindlin plate theories. By dening
L
uN
nm and unm to be the non-local and the local natural frequencies obtained in
Proc. R. Soc. A (2007)

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3236

P. Lu et al.

1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7
R11 0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0

0.2

0.4

0.6

e0 a /l1

0.8

1.0 0.2

0.4

1.0

0.8

0.6
l1 /l2

Figure 1. Variations of frequency ratio, R 11, with respect to non-local parameter e0 a=l 1 and aspect
ratio l 1/l 2.

l1 /l2 = 1.0

(a)
1.0

l1 /l2 = 0.4

(b)

n=1, m = 1
n=1, m = 2
n =2, m = 1
n =2, m = 2
n= 2, m = 3
n=3, m = 2
n =3, m= 3

n = 1, m = 1
n = 1, m = 2
n = 2, m = 1
n = 2, m = 2
n = 2, m = 3
n = 3, m = 2
n = 3, m = 3

0.9
0.8
0.7

Rnm

0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0

0.2

0.4

0.6

e0 a/l1

0.8

1.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

e0 a/l1

Figure 2. (a,b) Variations of frequency ratios R nm with respect to non-local parameter e 0 a=l 1 for
different aspect ratios l 1/l 2.
Proc. R. Soc. A (2007)

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3237

Non-local elastic plate theories

Table 1. Frequency ratios R nm in terms of non-local parameter e 0 a=l 1 and aspect ratio l 1/l 2.
e 0 a=l 1
(n, m)

(1, 1)
(1, 2)
(2, 1)
(2, 2)
(2, 3)
(3, 2)
(3, 3)
(1, 1)
(1, 2)
(2, 1)
(2, 2)
(2, 3)
(3, 2)
(3, 3)
(1, 1)
(1, 2)
(2, 1)
(2, 2)
(2, 3)
(3, 2)
(3, 3)
(1, 1)
(1, 2)
(2, 1)
(2, 2)
(2, 3)
(3, 2)
(3, 3)

0.1

l 1/l 2Z1.0
1.0000
0.9139
1.0000
0.8183
1.0000
0.8183
1.0000
0.7475
1.0000
0.6618
1.0000
0.6618
1.0000
0.6001
l 1/l 2Z0.8
1.0000
0.9277
1.0000
0.8602
1.0000
0.8282
1.0000
0.7791
1.0000
0.7137
1.0000
0.6834
1.0000
0.6380
l 1/l 2Z0.6
1.0000
0.9390
1.0000
0.8977
1.0000
0.8361
1.0000
0.8066
1.0000
0.7637
1.0000
0.7018
1.0000
0.6730
l 1/l 2Z0.4
1.0000
0.9472
1.0000
0.9277
1.0000
0.8420
1.0000
0.8282
1.0000
0.8066
1.0000
0.7159
1.0000
0.7018

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.7475
0.5799
0.5799
0.4904
0.4038
0.4038
0.3512

0.6001
0.4287
0.4287
0.3912
0.2823
0.2823
0.2426

0.4904
0.3353
0.3353
0.2708
0.2155
0.2155
0.1844

0.4105
0.2738
0.2738
0.2196
0.1739
0.1739
0.1484

0.3512
0.2308
0.2308
0.1844
0.1456
0.1456
0.1241

0.3061
0.1993
0.1993
0.1587
0.1251
0.1251
0.1066

0.2708
0.1752
0.1752
0.1393
0.1097
0.1097
0.0934

0.7719
0.6448
0.5942
0.5278
0.4539
0.4240
0.3827

0.6380
0.4902
0.4419
0.3827
0.3216
0.2979
0.2662

0.5278
0.3886
0.3465
0.2967
0.2468
0.2279
0.2028

0.4451
0.3197
0.2834
0.2412
0.1997
0.1840
0.1635

0.3827
0.2707
0.2391
0.2028
0.1674
0.1542
0.1368

0.3346
0.2343
0.2066
0.1748
0.1440
0.1326
0.1175

0.2967
0.2063
0.1816
0.1535
0.1263
0.1162
0.1030

0.8066
0.7237
0.6062
0.5636
0.5091
0.4419
0.4141

0.6730
0.5619
0.4530
0.4141
0.3668
0.3120
0.2902

0.5636
0.4539
0.3561
0.3229
0.2836
0.2391
0.2218

0.4792
0.3774
0.2916
0.2633
0.2302
0.1933
0.1790

0.4141
0.3216
0.2462
0.2218
0.1934
0.1628
0.1499

0.3633
0.2795
0.2128
0.1914
0.1666
0.1394
0.1289

0.3229
0.2468
0.1872
0.1682
0.1463
0.1222
0.1130

0.8282
0.7719
0.6152
0.5942
0.5636
0.4562
0.4419

0.7018
0.6380
0.4615
0.4419
0.4141
0.3234
0.3120

0.5942
0.5278
0.3635
0.3465
0.3229
0.2483
0.2391

0.5088
0.4451
0.2980
0.2834
0.2633
0.2009
0.1933

0.4419
0.3827
0.2517
0.2391
0.2218
0.1684
0.1620

0.3890
0.3346
0.2176
0.2066
0.1914
0.1449
0.1394

0.3465
0.2967
0.1915
0.1816
0.1682
0.1271
0.1222

equations (4.13), (4.14), (4.24) and (4.25), the ratios can be written as
Rnm Z

1
uN
1
Z nm
Z q ;
L
Hnm
unm
1 C p2 e a=l 2 n 2 C m 2 l =l 2
0

4:28

in which e 0 a=l 1 is a non-dimensional non-local parameter, and l 1/l 2 is the aspect

ratio of the rectangular plate.
The properties of the natural frequencies of the simply supported rectangular
plates based on the local Kirchhoff and Mindlin plate theories have been well
studied (see, for instance, Leissa (1973) and Soedel (1993)). The corresponding
non-local Kirchhoff and Mindlin plate models modify the frequency results by the
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3238

P. Lu et al.

factor R nm. Therefore, the properties of R nm are of interest for the examples
presented herein. Figure 1 shows the variations of R 11 with respect to e0 a=l 1 and
l 1/l 2. It can be seen that R 11 decreases rapidly with increasing e0 a=l 1 for all
aspect ratios l 1/l 2. This means that, for very small-sized plate-like structures in
MEMS or NEMS, in which the size effect becomes signicant, the frequency
properties predicted using the local plate theories are considerably overestimated. On the other hand, it can be seen from gure 2 that the decreasing
rate of R 11 is slightly increased with increasing aspect ratios l 1/l 2. For higher
order frequencies, the changes of the corresponding parameters R nm have similar
trends as shown in gure 1, and are plotted in gure 2 for aspect ratios l 1/l 2Z1
and 0.4. Some numerical values are given in table 1. It can be observed that the
non-local effects have more signicant inuences on the higher order frequencies.
For instance, for e 0 a=l 1 Z 0:2, the frequency uN
11 drops by approximately 20% while
uN
drops
by
approximately
60%
when
compared
with the frequencies obtained
33
from the local plate theories.
On the other hand, the solutions for the simply supported plates given in
equations (4.9) and (4.26) show that the displacements obtained by the non-local
plate models are larger than those predicated by the local plate theories. This
implies that the non-local effects soften the structures, and make them more
exible. These mechanical properties for the structures in micro- and nanoscales
should be taken into consideration in design and fabrication of MEMS/NEMS
components.
The foregoing simple examples show that one can apply the non-local plate
models to predict the mechanical properties of micro- and nanoscale plate-like
structures. For complex boundary value problems, analytical solutions are
generally not available and numerical treatments are required.
5. Concluding remarks
In this paper, the general equations and relations of non-local elastic plate models
have been presented, and the governing equations of two non-local plate theories
modied from their corresponding local Kirchhoff plate theory and local Mindlin
plate theory have been derived. The non-local theories can be applied for the
analysis of micro-and nanoscale plate-like structures, in which the small-scale
effects become signicant. As illustrative examples, the bending and free
vibration problems of a simply supported rectangular plate based on both the
non-local Kirchhoff and Mindlin plate models have been studied. The results
show that, for very small-sized plates, the inuences of the non-local effects on
the mechanical properties are considerable.
For general boundary value problems, like non-zero boundary force conditions,
the method for solution of the non-local plate theories will be more complicated
than those of the local plate theories. It is known that the force boundary
conditions for the non-local plate models are based on the non-local components
Nij and Mij dened in equation (2.11) or equation (2.18). Since these generalized
force components are coupled by a set of the second-order differential equations
(2.14), it is very difcult to obtain their explicit expressions as in the case of onedimensional non-local beam models (Lu et al. 2006a). Therefore, the non-local
generalized force components of the non-local plate theories for general boundary
Proc. R. Soc. A (2007)

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Non-local elastic plate theories

3239

value problems should be determined by the relations (2.11) or (2.18), in which

the three-dimensional non-local kernel satisfying the relations (2.4) and (2.7) is
given by
ajxj Z 4pl 2 t2 K1 jxj K1 expKjxj=lt; t Z e 0 a=l
5:1
and the two-dimensional non-local kernel satisfying the relations is given by
ajxj Z 2pl 2 t2 K1 K0 jxj=lt;

t Z e 0 a=l;

5:2

where K0 is the modied Bessel function and l is a characteristic length of the

considered structure. For more examples of different boundary value problems
based on the non-local elasticity models, refer to Eringen (2002).
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Proc. R. Soc. A (2007)