Received: 31 August 2020

DOI: 10.1002/mma.7069

SPECIAL ISSUE PAPER

Vibration analysis of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite

microbeams

Ömer Civalek1 | Shahriar Dastjerdi2,3 | Şeref D. Akbaş4 | Bekir Akgöz3

1
Department of Medical Research, China
Medical University Hospital, China In the present article, free vibration behavior of carbon nanotube-reinforced
Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan composite (CNTRC) microbeams is investigated. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)
2
Department of Mechanical Engineering, are distributed in a polymeric matrix with four different patterns of the
Shahrood Branch, Islamic Azad
University, Shahrood, Iran reinforcement. The material properties of the CNTRC microbeams are
3
Division of Mechanics, Civil Engineering predicted by using the rule of mixture. The microstructure-dependent
Department, Akdeniz University, Antalya, governing differential equations are derived by applying Hamilton's principle
Turkey
on the basis of couple stress theory and several beam theories. The obtained
4
Department of Civil Engineering, Bursa
Technical University, Bursa, Turkey
vibration equation is solved by using Navier's solution method. The effects of
length scale parameter, length/thickness ratio, volume fraction and the
Correspondence reinforcement pattern of CNTs on frequencies are examined. It is observed that
Bekir Akgöz, Division of Mechanics, Civil
Engineering Department, Akdeniz the biggest frequencies occur in X-Beam while O-Beam has the lowest ones. It
University, Antalya, Turkey. is also found that the size effect is more prominent when the thickness of the
Email: bekirakgoz@akdeniz.edu.tr
beam is close to the length scale parameter and this effect nearly disappears as
Communicated by: Hamid M. Sedighi the thickness of the beam increases.

KEYWORDS
beam theories, carbon nanotube, reinforced beam, size effect, vibration

JEL CLASSIFICATION
74H45; 74E30; 74E05; 74S30

1 | INTRODUCTION

The desired characteristics of structural members in many engineering applications can be listed as being safe,
functional, esthetic, and economical. The use of variable sections, composite, and reinforced elements may be beneficial
to ensure the aforementioned conditions as strength and structural efficiency may be increased while total cost and
weight may be reduced.
The conventional laminated composites consist of separate layers with various material properties. A disadvan-
tage of laminated composites is that high-stress concentrations can occur at the interfaces of adjacent layers,
which can cause delamination in the layers. Functionally graded materials (FGMs) can be described as
nonhomogeneous composites that occurring of two or more materials with different properties (as ceramic and
metal) that the properties vary gradually and continuously throughout one or more directions. FGMs can be also
expressed as a relatively new kind of composites having more advantages than laminated composites.
Consequently, structures made of FGMs in various geometries such as rectangular, circular, and ring are widely
used in space transport, nuclear reactors, defense industries, medicine, and chemical facilities. Several studies have
been performed on the analysis of FG structures.1–12

Math Meth Appl Sci. 2021;1–17. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/mma © 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 1
2 CIVALEK ET AL.

Fiber-reinforced composites are other types of composite materials that consist of fibers in a matrix and have major
advantages over the conventional structural materials. They have a wide range of applications such as aircraft, wind-
turbine, racing bike, radar head, racket, cooling tower, and the automotive industry.
The discovery of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in 1991 gave rise to accelerate the developments in nanotechnology.13
CNTs have received a great deal of attention due to the extraordinary mechanical, chemical, thermal, physical, and
electrical properties.14–20 To produce high-performance structural and multifunctional composites for various potential
applications, CNTs that have high elastic modulus, tensile strength, and low density can be used as reinforcing constitu-
ents instead of conventional fibers as in wind-turbine blades, foundation dampers, microbeam resonators, as well as in
energy-harvesting devices. For instance, microbeams made from CNT-reinforced composites (CNTRC) exhibit excellent
dynamical actuation or sensing capabilities. Due to their superior properties, CNTs are excellent candidates as the
reinforcement.
Recently, many studies have been conducted to examine the mechanical response of CNTRC. The thermo-mechani-
cal stability response of sandwich nanocomposite plates with CNT-reinforced layers surrounded by an elastic matrix
under a magnetic field was investigated according to the parabolic shear deformation plate theory.21 Similarly, thermo-
mechanical buckling analysis of truncated conical shells reinforced with embedded CNT was performed.22 In this study,
buckling loads were obtained by the Galerkin method. In another study, the mechanical behavior of CNTRC-laminated
skew plates under dynamic load was investigated.23 Effective material properties were determined according to the
Mori–Tanaka homogenization scheme. Mehar et al24 performed the nonlinear frequency analysis of the CNTRC struc-
tures in the thermal environment. In addition, static bending and free vibration behaviors of CNTRC structures in the
thermal environment were comprehensively studied with the finite element method.25,26 The vibrational response of
arbitrarily shaped CNTRC thick plates was perused by a differential quadrature method based on the higher order shear
deformation plate theory.27
Nonlinear free vibration analysis of functionally graded (FG) CNTRC beams was examined based on
Timoshenko beam theory with von Kármán assumption.28 The resulting equation was solved by Ritz method for
several boundary conditions. Yas and Heshmati29 surveyed the dynamic analysis of FG-CNTRC beams under a
moving load based on Bernoulli-Euler and Timoshenko beam theories. Free vibration and buckling problems of
embedded nanocomposite beams embedded in an elastic foundation were solved by Yas and Samadi.30 Four
different distribution patterns were considered and generalized differential quadrature method was employed for
the solution. Wattanasakulpong and Ungbhakorn31 studied the bending, free vibration, and buckling analyses of
CNTRC beams surrounded by a two-parameter elastic foundation. Navier's solution method was applied to obtain
the solution for simply supported boundary condition. Bouazza and Zenkour32 perused the free vibration
frequencies of composite plates reinforced with single-walled CNTs by using a refined simplified two-variable
nth-higher-order theory. More information on the static and dynamic analyses of CNTRC structures can be found
in the review study.33
On the other hand, rapid developments in nanotechnology yield to use of micro−/nano-sized structural
elements to design micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS). However, it is shown from
experiments that the mechanical properties of small-sized structures are significantly size-dependent.34,35 Unfortu-
nately, the earlier continuum models based on classical elasticity theory cannot take into consideration the size
effect in microscale depend on the lack of any length scale parameters. Therefore, a number of non-classical
continuum theories, which includes at least one additional or internal material length scale parameter, have been
developed to determine the mechanical characteristics of small-sized structures, such as couple stress theory,36–39
micropolar theory,40 nonlocal elasticity theory41,42 and strain gradient theories.35,43–45 In recent times, these
theories have widely been applied to analyze the small-sized structures.46–83 After a literature survey, it can be
seen that the studies have been focused on the mechanical analyses of CNTRC beams based on conventional
elasticity theories. Unlike the previous works, the size-dependent vibrational response of CNTRC microbeams is
perused here.
The rest of the article is organized as follows. Firstly, the basic formulations are given about mixing rules and modi-
fied couple stress theory in Section 2. After that, the microstructure-dependent governing differential equations are
derived by applying Hamilton's principle on the basis of couple stress theory and several beam theories in Section 3.
Then, the obtained vibration equation is solved by using Navier's solution technique in Section 4. The effects of length
scale parameter, slenderness ratio, volume fraction and the reinforcement pattern of CNT on frequencies are examined
in Section 5. The paper contains a conclusion in Section 6.
CIVALEK ET AL. 3

2 | MAIN FORMULATIONS

As mentioned earlier, the material properties of FGMs change gradually and continuously along specific dimension(s)
such as height (traditional FGM), length (axial FGM), and both of them (bidirectional FGM), unlike layered compos-
ites. A FG structure consists of a mixture of at least two materials such as ceramic and metal. Various mixing rules have
been developed to estimate the material properties of functionally graded structures, such as power law, exponential,
sigmoid, and Mori–Tanaka homogenization scheme84:
Power law:

k
2z + h
PðzÞ = Pm + ðPc −Pm Þ : ð1Þ
2h

Sigmoid:
8
k !
>
> 1 h−2z h
>
> P + ðPc −Pm Þ 1 − 0≤z≤
>
< m 2 h 2
P ðz Þ =
 ! : ð2Þ
>
> 1 h + 2z k
>
> Pm + ðPc −Pm Þ
h
− ≤z≤0
>
: 2 h 2

Exponential:


 !
Pc 2z + h k
PðzÞ = Pm exp ln : ð3Þ
Pm 2h

Mori–Tanaka homogenization scheme:

2z + hk
K ðzÞ −K m
=    
2h
, ð4Þ
Kc − Km 2z + h k
1 + 1 − 2h ðK c −K m Þ=ðK m + 4μm =3Þ

2z + hk
μðzÞ −μm
=    
2h
: ð5Þ
μc −μm 2z + h k
1 + 1 − 2h ðμc −μm Þ=½μm + μm ð9K m + 8μm Þ=ð6ðK m + 2μm ÞÞ

In view of Equations 4 and 5, Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio can be expressed as follows:

9K ðzÞ μðzÞ
E ðz Þ = , ð6Þ
3K ðzÞ + μðzÞ

3K ðzÞ −2μðzÞ
vðzÞ = , ð7Þ
6K ðzÞ + 2μðzÞ

where Pm and Pc represent volume fractions of constituents at the top (z = − h/2) and bottom (z = h/2) surfaces,
respectively. K(z) and μ(z) are effective bulk and shear modules, respectively. Also, k denotes the material property gradi-
ent index, and the subscripts c and m represent ceramic and metal constituents.
In the present study, CNTRC beams are considered by a mixture of CNT and a polymer matrix. Table 1 lists the
volume fractions for four different types of distributions of CNTs throughout the thickness.85
In this table, VCNT is the volume fraction of CNTs, and V CNT can be described as below:
4 CIVALEK ET AL.

TABLE 1 Volume fractions of carbon nanotubes for four different distribution patterns throughout the thickness

Distribution patterns VCNT

UD V CNT
 
FG-V V CNT 1 + 2 hz
 
FG-O 2V CNT 1−2 jhzj
FG-X 4V CNT jhzj

mCNT
V CNT =   , ð8Þ
ρCNT
mCNT + ðρCNT =ρm Þ − ρm mCNT

where mCNT represents the mass fraction of CNTs and ρCNT and ρm are respectively the densities of CNT and polymer
matrix. Different patterns of CNT at cross-section are depicted in Figure 1.
The effective material properties of CNTRC beams are presented by the following expressions31:

E 11 = η1 V CNT E CNT p
11 + V p E , ð9Þ

η2 V CNT V p
= + p, ð10Þ
E 22 E CNT
22 E

η3 V CNT V p
= CNT + p , ð11Þ
G12 G12 G

V CNT + V p = 1, ð12Þ

v = V CNT vCNT + V p vp , ð13Þ

ρ = V CNT ρCNT + V p ρp , ð14Þ

where E CNT CNT CNT

11 , E 22 , G12 , v
CNT
, and ρCNT denote the Young's modulus, shear modulus, Poisson's ratio, and density
of CNT, respectively. Similarly, Ep, Gp, vp, and ρp define the Young's modulus, shear modulus, Poisson's ratio, and
density of the polymer matrix, respectively. Also, VCNT and VCNT are the volume fractions of CNT and the polymer

(A) (B)

(C) (D)

F I G U R E 1 Various distribution patterns

of carbon nanotubes: (A) UD, (B) FD-X, (C)
FD-O, and (D) FD-V
CIVALEK ET AL. 5

matrix, respectively. Moreover, η1, η2, η3 are the CNT efficiency parameters, and the values of them for different V CNT
are given as30:

η1 = 1:2833, η2 = η3 = 1:0556 for V CNT = 0:12, ð15aÞ

η1 = 1:3414, η2 = η3 = 1:7101 for V CNT = 0:17, ð15bÞ

η1 = 1:3238, η2 = η3 = 1:7380 for V CNT = 0:28: ð15cÞ

According to modified couple stress theory, the strain energy U can be expressed as39
ðLð
1
U= ðσ : ε + m : χÞdA dx, ð16Þ
2 0 A

where σ is the classical stress tensor, ε is the strain tensor, m is the deviatoric part of the couple stress tensor, and χ is
the symmetric curvature tensor. These tensors can be defined as follows:

σ = λtrðεÞI + 2Gε, ð17Þ

1h i
ε= ru + ðruÞT , ð18Þ
2

m = 2Gl2 χ, ð19Þ

1h i
χ= rθ + ðrθÞT , ð20Þ
2

1
θ = curl u, ð21Þ
2

where u and θ are the displacement and rotation vectors, respectively, and l is the length scale parameter.
Additionally, λ and G are the Lamé constants defined in terms of the Young's modulus (E) and Poisson's ratio (v) as
follows:

Ev E
λ= , G= : ð22Þ
ð1 + vÞð1 −2vÞ 2ð1 + vÞ

3 | CONSTI TU T I VE E QU ATI ON S O F M O T I O N FO R A GE NE R A L B E A M
THEORY

The displacement components of an initially straight beam on the basis of a general beam theory can be expressed as

∂wðx, t Þ
ux ðx, z, t Þ = uðx, t Þ −z + H ðzÞ;ðx, t Þ
∂x
, ð23Þ
uy ðx,z, t Þ = 0
uz ðx,z, t Þ = wðx, t Þ

where
6 CIVALEK ET AL.


∂w
;ðx, t Þ = −φ , ð24Þ
∂x

where ux,uy, and uz are the x − , y−, and z− components of the displacement vector, and also u and w are the axial and
transverse displacements, ; is the total bending rotation of the cross-sections about y−axis of any point on the
mid-plane of the beam, respectively. H(z) is a function which depends on z, and it can be defined for Euler–Bernoulli
(EBT), Rayleigh (RBT), Timoshenko (TBT), improved Timoshenko (ITBT), parabolic (PBT), and sinusoidal (SBT) beam
theories as following:

EBT and RBT : H ðzÞ = 0, ð25aÞ

TBT and ITBT : H ðzÞ = z, ð25bÞ


4z2
PBT : H ðzÞ = z 1 − 2 , ð25cÞ
3h

h πz
SBT : H ðzÞ = sin : ð25dÞ
π h

It can be clearly seen from the above relations that H(z) is equal to zero for both EBT and RBT. Consequently, it is
notable that EBT is obtained from RBT by ignoring only the rotary inertia term. The divergency between the frequen-
cies of these two theories is more considerable for thicker beams in higher modes.
Use of Equation 23 in Equations 18 and 21 yields respectively the nonzero components of strain tensor and
rotation vector

∂u ∂2 w ∂; dH
εxx = −z 2 + H , γ xz = 2εxz = ;, ð26Þ
∂x ∂x ∂x dz

1 dH ∂w
θy = ;− , ð27Þ
2 dz ∂x

and the nonzero components of symmetric curvature tensor are determined by implementing Equation 27 in
Equation 20 as

1 ∂ 2 w 1 dH ∂; 1 d2 H
χ sxy = χ syx = − − , χ syz = χ szy = ;: ð28Þ
2 ∂x 2 2 dz ∂x 4 dz2

Substituting of Equations 26–28 in the related equations gives the nonzero components of stress tensors


E 11 ðzÞ ∂u ∂2 w ∂; dH
σ xx = −z 2 + H , σ xz = GðzÞ ;, ð29Þ
1 −v ðzÞ ∂x
2 ∂x ∂x dz


∂ 2 w 1 dH ∂; GðzÞl2 d2 H
msxy = msyx = −GðzÞl 2
− , ms
= m s
= ;: ð30Þ
∂x 2 2 dz ∂x yz zy
2 dz2

The first variation of the strain energy for CNTRC microbeams on the time interval [0,T] can be presented as
CIVALEK ET AL. 7

ðT ð T
ð L ð   
δ Udt = σ ij δεij + msij δχ sij dA dx dt
0 0 0 A
ð T ð L 

∂2 u ∂3 w ∂2 ϕ
= −b1 2 + b2 3 −b4 2 δu
0 0 ∂x ∂x ∂x


 3 
∂3 u ∂4 w 1 ∂ ϕ
+ −b2 3 + ðb3 + b8 Þ 4 − b5 + b10 δw
∂x ∂x 2 ∂x 3


 3
 2
 
∂2 u 1 ∂ w 1 ∂ ϕ 1
+ −b4 2 + b5 + b10 − b 6 + b 11 + b 7 + b12 ϕ δϕ dxdt
∂x 2 ∂x 3 4 ∂x 2 4

 , ð31Þ
∂u ∂2 w ∂ϕ
+ b1 −b2 2 + b4 δu
∂x ∂x ∂x

2
 2 
∂ u ∂3 w 1 ∂ ϕ
+ b2 2 − ðb3 + b8 Þ 3 + b5 + b10 δw
∂x ∂x 2 ∂x 2


 

∂u ∂2 w 1 ∂ϕ ∂w
+ −b2 + ðb3 + b8 Þ 2 − b5 + b10 δ
∂x ∂x 2 ∂x ∂x


 2
  L
∂u 1 ∂ w 1 ∂ϕ
+ b4 − b5 + b10 + b 6 + b11 δϕ
∂x 2 ∂x 2 4 ∂x 0

in which
ð
E 11 ðzÞ
fb1 , b2 , b3 g = 2 ðz Þ
1,z, z2 dA,
A 1 −v
ð
E 11 ðzÞ
fb4 , b5 , b6 g = H ðzÞf1, z,H ðzÞgdA,
A 1 −v ðzÞ
2
ð
2 , ð32Þ
dH
b 7 = k s G ðz Þ dA,
A dz
ð (
2
2 2 )
2 dH dH dH
fb8 , b9 , b10 , b11 , b12 g = GðzÞl 1,H ðzÞ ,
2
, , dA
A dz dz dz2

where ks is shear correction factor used only in TBT. The first variation of the kinetic energy for CNTRC microbeams
on the time interval [0,T] is expressed as

ðT ðT ðL


∂u ∂δu ∂w ∂δw ∂u ∂ 2 δw ∂ 2 w ∂δu
δTdt = I1 + −I 2 +
0 0 0 ∂t ∂t ∂t ∂t ∂t ∂x∂t ∂x∂t ∂t

2 2 

∂ w ∂ δw ∂u ∂δϕ ∂ϕ ∂δu
+ I3 + I4 + , ð33Þ
∂x∂t ∂x∂t ∂t ∂t ∂t ∂t

2 

∂ w ∂δϕ ∂ϕ ∂ 2 δw ∂ϕ ∂δϕ
−I 5 + + I6 dxdt
∂x∂t ∂t ∂t ∂x∂t ∂t ∂t

where
ð
fI 1 , I 2 , I 3 g = ρðzÞ 1, z,z2 dA
ð A
: ð34Þ
fI 4 , I 5 , I 6 g = ρðzÞH ðzÞf1, z, H ðzÞgdA
A

With the aid of Hamilton's principle, the size-dependent governing differential equations of CNTRC microbeams are
obtained as follows:
8 CIVALEK ET AL.

∂2 u ∂3 w ∂2 ϕ ∂2 u ∂3 w ∂2 ϕ
δu : b1 −b 2 + b4 = I 1 −I 2 + I 4 , ð35Þ
∂x 2 ∂x 3 ∂x 2 ∂t 2 ∂x∂t 2 ∂t 2

 3
∂3 u ∂4 w 1 ∂ ϕ
δw : b2 3 − ðb3 + b8 Þ 4 + b5 + b10
∂x ∂x 2 ∂x 3
, ð36Þ
∂2 w ∂3 u ∂4 w ∂3 ϕ
= I1 2 + I2 − I 3 + I 5
∂t ∂x∂t 2 ∂x 2 ∂t 2 ∂x∂t2

 3
 2

∂2 u 1 ∂ w 1 ∂ ϕ 1
δϕ : b4 2 − b5 + b10 + b6 + b11 − b7 + b12 ϕ
∂x 2 ∂x 3 4 ∂x 2 4
, ð37Þ
∂2 u ∂3 w ∂2 ϕ
= I 4 2 −I 5 + I 6
∂t ∂x∂t2 ∂t 2

and the corresponding boundary conditions at x = 0 and x = L

∂u ∂2 w ∂ϕ
−b1 + b2 2 −b4 = 0 or u = 0, ð38Þ
∂x ∂x ∂x

 2
∂2 u ∂3 w 1 ∂ ϕ
−b2 2 + ðb3 + b8 Þ 3 − b5 + b10 = 0 or w = 0, ð39Þ
∂x ∂x 2 ∂x 2


∂u ∂2 w 1 ∂ϕ ∂w
b2 − ðb3 + b8 Þ 2 + b5 + b10 = 0 or = 0, ð40Þ
∂x ∂x 2 ∂x ∂x

 2

∂u 1 ∂ w 1 ∂ϕ
−b4 + b5 + b10 − b6 + b11 = 0 or ϕ = 0, ð41Þ
∂x 2 ∂x 2 4 ∂x

4 | ANALYTICAL SOLUTION WITH THE N AVIER'S S OLUTION

PROCEDURE

In this section, Navier's solution procedure is utilized to achieve the analytical solutions for free vibration problem of
CNTRC microbeams. The following expansions of generalized displacements with undetermined Fourier coefficients
and certain trigonometric functions can be used as

X
∞
uðx,t Þ = U n cosβxeiωn t , ð42Þ
n=1

X
∞
wðx,t Þ = W n sinβxeiωn t , ð43Þ
n=1

X
∞
ϕðx,t Þ = Rn cosβeiωn t , ð44Þ
n=1

pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
where Un, Wn, and Rn are the undetermined Fourier coefficients, ωn is the vibration frequency, i = −1 and β = nπ/L.
Inserting of Equations 42–44 into Equations 35–37 yields the following equation:
CIVALEK ET AL. 9

02 3 2 318 9 8 9
K 11 K 12 K 13 M 11 M 12 M 13 > <0>
= >
< Un > =
B6 7 6 7C
@4 K 21 K 22 K 23 5 −ω2n 4 M 21 M 22 M 23 5A W n = 0 , ð45Þ
>
: : >
; >
> ;
K 31 K 32 K 33 M 31 M 32 M 33 Rn 0

where

K 11 = −β2 b1 , K 12 = K 21 = β3 b2 ,K 13 = K 31 = −β2 b4 ,
K 22 = − β4 ðb3 + b8 Þ,



, ð46Þ
1 1 1
K 23 = K 32 = β 3
b5 + b10 , K 33 = −β b6 + b11 − b7 + b12
2
2 4 4

M 11 = −I 1 , M 12 = M 21 = βI 2 ,M 13 = M 31 = −I 4,
  : ð47Þ
M 22 = − I 1 + β2 I 3 , M 23 = M 32 = βI 5 , M 33 = −I 6

The eigenvalues ωn can be calculated by setting the determinant of coefficient matrix in Equation 45 to zero. It is nota-
ble that the smallest eigenvalue represents the fundamental frequency.

5 | N U M E R I C A L R E S U LTS AN D D I S C U S S I O N

In this section, vibrational behavior of composite microbeams reinforced by CNT is examined. The effects of CNT's
volume fraction, distribution pattern of CNT, length scale parameter, and mode numbers on the frequency
values of CNTRC microbeams are investigated. Material properties used in calculations are as
follows31: Ep = 2.5 GPa, vp = 0.3,ρp = 1,190 kg/m3, E CNT 11 = 600 GPa, E CNT
22 = 10 GPa,G
CNT
= 17:2 GPa,
rffiffiffiffi
p
I
 = ωL b1p . I p1 and
vCNT = 0.19, ρCNT = 1,400 kg/m3. It is notable that the dimensionless frequencies are calculated as ω
1

bp1represent I1 and b1 of microbeam made of pure matrix material, respectively. First of all, in order to prove the accu-
racy and validity of the analysis, the present results are compared with the results of a previously published work.31
Also, the shear correction factor is taken as ks = 5/6 for TBT. Furthermore, the improved shear correction factor (ks ) is
used for Timoshenko microbeam models (ITBT) as

5
k s = k ac , ð48Þ
6

where

k ac = 4 2=h , a = 9ð =l2 Þ
0:08
la h
− 0:45: ð49Þ
a

In Table 2, the classical dimensionless fundamental frequencies of CNTRC beams are compared for different beam the-
ories. It can be easily said from this table that the results based on PBT and SBT are in an excellent agreement, but there
is a visible difference between the frequency values obtained by TBT. The reason of this difference can be interpreted as
using ks = 5/6 in this study, but ks = 1 in the comparative study.
The classical dimensionless fundamental frequencies of CNTRC beams based on different beam theories are given
in Tables 3 and 4 for V CNT = 0:17 and V CNT = 0:28, respectively. It is found that the highest frequency is obtained in the
FD-X distribution and based on EBT. In addition, it is clearly seen that the frequency values increase due to the
increase in the volume fraction of CNTs.
The size-dependent dimensionless fundamental frequencies of CNTRC microbeams based on different beam
theories are presented in Tables 5–7 for V CNT = 0:12, V CNT = 0:17 , and V CNT = 0:28 , respectively. The length scale
parameter is chosen as equal to thickness (l = h). It is observed that the size-dependent frequencies are greater than
 10

TABLE 2 Comparison of nondimensional fundamental frequencies of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) beams for V CNT = 0:12 (L/h = 15)

UD FD-O FD-X FD-V

Beam Wattanasakulpong and Wattanasakulpong and Wattanasakulpong and Wattanasakulpong and

theory Ungbhakorn31 Present Ungbhakorn31 Present Ungbhakorn31 Present Ungbhakorn31 Present
EBT — 1.1513 — 0.8256 — 1.4005 — 0.9515
RBT — 1.1492 — 0.8241 — 1.3979 — 0.9498
TBT 0.9976 0.9739 0.7628 0.7521 1.1485 1.1129 0.8592 0.8440
PBT 0.9745 0.9745 0.7453 0.7453 1.1152 1.1152 0.8441 0.8441
SBT 0.9749 0.9749 0.7446 0.7446 1.1163 1.1163 0.8443 0.8443

Abbreviations: EBT, Euler–Bernoulli beam theory; PBT, parabolic beam theory; SBT, sinusoidal beam theory; TBT, Timoshenko beam theory.
CIVALEK ET AL.
CIVALEK ET AL. 11

TABLE 3 Nondimensional fundamental frequencies of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) beams for V CNT = 0:17
(L/h = 15)

Beam theory UD FD-O FD-X FD-V

EBT 1.3868 0.9906 1.6877 1.1414
RBT 1.3842 0.9888 1.6846 1.1394
TBT 1.1977 0.9145 1.3796 1.0297
PBT 1.1983 0.9088 1.3760 1.0293
SBT 1.1987 0.9082 1.3768 1.0295

Abbreviations: EBT, Euler–Bernoulli beam theory; PBT, parabolic beam theory; SBT, sinusoidal beam theory; TBT, Timoshenko beam theory.

TABLE 4 Nondimensional fundamental frequencies of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) beams for V CNT = 0:28
(L/h = 15)

Beam theory UD FD-O FD-X FD-V

EBT 1.7392 1.2391 2.1153 1.4268
RBT 1.7360 1.2369 2.1114 1.4242
TBT 1.4348 1.1176 1.6409 1.2501
PBT 1.4361 1.1150 1.6113 1.2468
SBT 1.4367 1.1146 1.6107 1.2469

Abbreviations: EBT, Euler–Bernoulli beam theory; PBT, parabolic beam theory; SBT, sinusoidal beam theory; TBT, Timoshenko beam theory.

the classical ones. In these tables, ITBT represents the Timoshenko beam theory with the improved shear correction
factor used for the modified couple stress theory. It is seen that there is a very good harmony among
the frequencies based on PBT, SBT, and ITBT shear deformation theories while the results of TBT underestimate.
In addition, it is revealed that dimensionless fundamental frequencies increase as the volume fraction of CNT
increases.
The dimensionless second and third mode frequencies of CNTRC microbeams are respectively given in Tables 8
and 9. The frequencies increased significantly due to the increase in the mode numbers. In addition, it can be said that
the difference between the frequencies evaluated by TBT and other shear deformation theories is gradually increased.
Variation of dimensionless first three natural frequencies of CNTRC (UD) microbeams against slenderness ratio
based on different beam theories is given in Figures 2-4. When slenderness ratio is low, there is a significant difference
between the frequencies predicted by several beam theories, and there is a serious decrement in the dimensionless fre-
quencies and the difference between them as a result of increment in this ratio.

TABLE 5 Nondimensional fundamental frequencies of carbon nanotube (CNT)-reinforced microbeams for V CNT = 0:12
(L/h = 15, l = h)

Beam theory UD FD-O FD-X FD-V

EBT 1.2256 0.9269 1.4625 1.0406
RBT 1.2234 0.9252 1.4598 1.0387
TBT 1.0379 0.8442 1.1644 0.9234
ITBT 1.1675 0.9027 1.3648 1.0056
PBT 1.1615 0.8961 1.3624 1.0024
SBT 1.1612 0.8958 1.3614 1.0022

Abbreviations: EBT, Euler–Bernoulli beam theory; PBT, parabolic beam theory; SBT, sinusoidal beam theory; TBT, Timoshenko beam theory.
12 CIVALEK ET AL.

T A B L E 6 Nondimensional fundamental frequencies of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) microbeams for V CNT = 0:17
(L/h = 15, l = h)

Beam theory UD FD-O FD-X FD-V

EBT 1.4909 1.1335 1.7753 1.2673
RBT 1.4882 1.1314 1.7720 1.2650
TBT 1.2887 1.0458 1.4534 1.1433
ITBT 1.4293 1.1079 1.6725 1.2307
PBT 1.4232 1.1006 1.6718 1.2276
SBT 1.4228 1.1004 1.6703 1.2274

Abbreviations: EBT, Euler–Bernoulli beam theory; PBT, parabolic beam theory; SBT, sinusoidal beam theory; TBT, Timoshenko beam theory.

TABLE 7 Nondimensional fundamental frequencies of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) microbeams for V CNT = 0:28
(L/h = 15, l = h)

Beam theory UD FD-O FD-X FD-V

EBT 1.8346 1.3756 2.1981 1.5467
RBT 1.8313 1.3732 2.1940 1.5439
TBT 1.5158 1.2408 1.7087 1.3560
ITBT 1.7336 1.3359 2.0340 1.4893
PBT 1.7231 1.3215 2.0393 1.4849
SBT 1.7225 1.3216 2.0347 1.4842

Abbreviations: EBT, Euler–Bernoulli beam theory; PBT, parabolic beam theory; SBT, sinusoidal beam theory; TBT, Timoshenko beam theory.

TABLE 8 Nondimensional second mode frequencies of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) microbeams for V CNT = 0:12
(L/h = 15, l = h)

Beam theory UD FD-O FD-X FD-V

EBT 4.9026 3.7076 5.8500 4.1555
RBT 4.8671 3.6811 5.8073 4.1256
TBT 3.0880 2.7691 3.2571 2.9122
ITBT 4.1404 3.3649 4.6476 3.6780
PBT 4.0821 3.2866 4.6328 3.6436
SBT 4.0794 3.2833 4.6254 3.6417

Abbreviations: EBT, Euler–Bernoulli beam theory; PBT, parabolic beam theory; SBT, sinusoidal beam theory; TBT, Timoshenko beam theory.

TABLE 9 Nondimensional third mode frequencies of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) microbeams for V CNT = 0:12
(L/h = 15, l = h)

Beam theory UD FD-O FD-X FD-V

EBT 11.0307 8.3421 13.1626 9.3236
RBT 10.8537 8.2096 12.9491 9.1754
TBT 5.3594 5.0844 5.4981 5.2171
ITBT 8.0335 6.8796 8.7004 7.3646
PBT 7.8805 6.6151 8.6969 7.2680
SBT 7.8765 6.6057 8.6819 7.2648

Abbreviations: EBT, Euler–Bernoulli beam theory; PBT, parabolic beam theory; SBT, sinusoidal beam theory; TBT, Timoshenko beam theory.
CIVALEK ET AL. 13

F I G U R E 2 Variation of dimensionless fundamental

frequencies with respect to slenderness ratio for different beam
theories (l = h, V CNT = 0:12)

F I G U R E 3 Variation of dimensionless second mode

frequencies with respect to slenderness ratio for different beam
theories (l = h, V CNT = 0:12)

F I G U R E 4 Variation of dimensionless third mode frequencies

with respect to slenderness ratio for different beam theories (l = h,
V CNT = 0:12)
14 CIVALEK ET AL.

In addition, the difference between the frequencies evaluated by the various beam theories gradually increases
depending on the increase in the mode numbers. It is observed that there is almost no difference between the results of
PBT and ITBT, but the frequency values of TBT are much lower than the others.

6 | C ON C L U S I ON S

In the present study, size-dependent free vibration analysis of CNTRC microbeams is performed. The distribution of
CNTs in a polymer matrix is considered with four different patterns. The constitutive equations are obtained by
implementing Hamilton's principle based on modified couple stress theory and six different beam theories. The
resulting equation is solved by using the Navier's solution method for simply supported microbeams. In order to
demonstrate the validation of the present analysis, some comparisons are made with the previous results in the existing
literature. The effects of length scale parameter, slenderness ratio, mode number, volume fraction, and distribution
pattern of CNT on the natural frequencies are investigated in detail.
From the obtained results, it is observed that the FD-O beam has the smallest frequencies, while the highest
frequencies occurred in the FD-X beam. It is also found that when the thickness of the microbeam is close to the length
scale parameter, the size effect is more pronounced, and this effect almost disappears as the thickness of the beam
increases.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST
This work does not have any conflicts of interest.

FUNDING INFORMATION
There are no funders to report for this submission.

ORCID
Bekir Akgöz https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2097-2555

R EF E RE N C E S
1. Avcar M. Effects of material non-homogeneity and two parameter elastic foundation on fundamental frequency parameters of
Timoshenko beams. Acta Phys pol a. 2016;130(1):375-378.
2. Avcar M. Effects of rotary inertia shear deformation and non-homogeneity on frequencies of beam. Struct Eng Mech. 2015;55(4):871-884.
3. Kettaf FZ, Houari MSA, Benguediab M, Tounsi A. Thermal buckling of functionally graded sandwich plates using a new hyperbolic
shear displacement model. Steel Compos Struct. 2013;15(4):399-423.
4. Duc ND, Khoa ND, Thiem HT. Nonlinear thermo-mechanical response of eccentrically stiffened sigmoid FGM circular cylindrical shells
subjected to compressive and uniform radial loads using the Reddy's third-order shear deformation shell theory. Mech Adv Mater Struc.
2018;25(13):1156-1167.
5. Duc ND, Quan TQ. Nonlinear response of imperfect eccentrically stiffened FGM cylindrical panels on elastic foundation subjected to
mechanical loads. Eur J Mech A-Solid. 2014;46:60-71.
6. Sun JB, Xu XS, Lim CW. Buckling of functionally graded cylindrical shells under combined thermal and compressive loads. J Therm
Stress. 2014;37(3):340-362.
7. Thai HT, Kim SE. Closed-form solution for buckling analysis of thick functionally graded plates on elastic foundation. Int J Mech Sci.
2013;75:34-44.
8. Tung HV, Duc ND. Nonlinear response of shear deformable FGM curved panels resting on elastic foundations and subjected to mechan-
ical and thermal loading conditions. App Math Model. 2014;38(11–12):2848-2866.
9. Chen MF, Jin GY, Ma XL, Zhang YT, Ye TG, Liu ZG. Vibration analysis for sector cylindrical shells with bi-directional functionally
graded materials and elastically restrained edges. Compos Part B-Eng. 2018;153:346-363.
10. Gao K, Gao W, Chen D, Yang J. Nonlinear free vibration of functionally graded graphene platelets reinforced porous nanocomposite
plates resting on elastic foundation. Compos Struct. 2018;204:831-846.
11. Hussain M, Naeem MN, Isvandzibaei MR. Effect of Winkler and Pasternak elastic foundation on the vibration of rotating functionally
graded material cylindrical shell. Proc Mech Eng C-J Mech. 2018;232(24):4564-4577.
12. Yang TZ, Tang Y, Li Q, Yang XD. Nonlinear bending, buckling and vibration of bi-directional functionally graded nanobeams. Compos
Struct. 2018;204:313-319.
13. Iijima S. Helical microtubules of graphitic carbon. Nature. 1991;354(6348):56-58.
14. Ruoff RS, Lorents DC. Mechanical and thermal-properties of carbon nanotubes. Carbon. 1995;33(7):925-930.
CIVALEK ET AL. 15

15. Salvetat JP, Bonard JM, Thomson NH, et al. Mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes. Appl Phys A-Mater. 1999;69(3):255-260.
16. Kataura H, Kumazawa Y, Maniwa Y, et al. Optical properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes. Synth Met. 1999;103(1–3):2555-2558.
17. Odom TW, Huang JL, Kim P, Lieber CM. Atomic structure and electronic properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes. Nature. 1998;
391(6662):62-64.
18. Rochefort A, Avouris P, Lesage F, Salahub DR. Electrical and mechanical properties of distorted carbon nanotubes. Phys Rev B. 1999;60
(19):13824-13830.
19. Li YH, Wei JQ, Zhang XF, et al. Mechanical and electrical properties of carbon nanotube ribbons. Chem Phys Lett. 2002;365(1–2):95-100.
20. Yakobson BI, Avouris P. Mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes. Top Appl Phys. 2001;80:287-327.
21. Shokravi M. Buckling of sandwich plates with FG-CNT-reinforced layers resting on orthotropic elastic medium using Reddy plate the-
ory. Steel Compos Struct. 2017;23(6):623-631.
22. Duc ND, Cong PH, Tuan ND, Tran P, Thanh NV. Thermal and mechanical stability of functionally graded carbon nanotubes (FG CNT)-
reinforced composite truncated conical shells surrounded by the elastic foundations. Thin Wall Struct. 2017;115:300-310.
23. Zhang LW, Xiao LN. Mechanical behavior of laminated CNT-reinforced composite skew plates subjected to dynamic loading. Compos
Part B-Eng. 2017;122:219-230.
24. Mehar K, Panda SK, Mahapatra TR. Thermoelastic nonlinear frequency analysis of CNT reinforced functionally graded sandwich struc-
ture. Eur J Mech A-Solid. 2017;65:384-396.
25. Mehar K, Panda SK. Thermal free vibration behavior of FG-CNT reinforced sandwich curved panel using finite element method. Polym
Compos. 2018;39(8):2751-2764.
26. Mehar K, Panda SK, Mahapatra TR. Thermoelastic deflection responses of CNT reinforced sandwich shell structure using finite-element
method. Sci Iranica. 2018;25(5):2722-2737.
27. Ansari R, Torabi J, Hassani R. A comprehensive study on the free vibration of arbitrary shaped thick functionally graded CNT-reinforced
composite plates. Eng Struct. 2019;181:653-669.
28. Ke LL, Yang J, Kitipornchai S. Nonlinear free vibration of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite beams. Compos
Struct. 2010;92(3):676-683.
29. Yas MH, Heshmati M. Dynamic analysis of functionally graded nanocomposite beams reinforced by randomly oriented carbon nanotube
under the action of moving load. App Math Model. 2012;36(4):1371-1394.
30. Yas MH, Samadi N. Free vibrations and buckling analysis of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite Timoshenko beams on elastic foun-
dation. Int J Pres Ves pip. 2012;98:119-128.
31. Wattanasakulpong N, Ungbhakorn V. Analytical solutions for bending, buckling and vibration responses of carbon nanotube-reinforced
composite beams resting on elastic foundation. Comput Mater Sci. 2013;71:201-208.
32. Bouazza M, Zenkour AM. Vibration of carbon nanotube-reinforced plates via refined nth-higher-order theory. Arch Appl Mech. 2020;90:
1755-1769.
33. Liew KM, Lei ZX, Zhang LW. Mechanical analysis of functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced composites: a review. Compos
Struct. 2015;120:90-97.
34. Fleck NA, Muller GM, Ashby MF, Hutchinson JW. Strain gradient plasticity—theory and experiment. Acta Metall Mater. 1994;42(2):
475-487.
35. Lam DCC, Yang F, Chong ACM, Wang J, Tong P. Experiments and theory in strain gradient elasticity. J Mech Phys Solids. 2003;51(8):
1477-1508.
36. Koiter WT. Couple stresses in the theory of elasticity. I and II Proc Ned Akad Wet B. 1964;67:17-44.
37. Mindlin RD, Tiersten HF. Effects of couple-stresses in linear elasticity. Arch Ration Mech Anal. 1962;11(1):415-448.
38. Toupin RA. Theories of elasticity with couple-stress. Arch Ration Mech Anal. 1964;17(2):85-112.
39. Yang F, Chong ACM, Lam DCC, Tong P. Couple stress based strain gradient theory for elasticity. Int J Solids Struct. 2002;39:2731-2743.
40. Eringen AC. Theory of micropolar plates. Z Angew Math Phys. 1967;18(1):12-30.
41. Eringen AC. Nonlocal polar elastic continua. Int J Eng Sci. 1972;10(1):1-16.
42. Eringen AC. On differential-equations of nonlocal elasticity and solutions of screw dislocation and surface-waves. J Appl Phys. 1983;54
(9):4703-4710.
43. Aifantis EC. Gradient deformation models at nano, micro, and macro scales. J Eng Mater. 1999;121(2):189-202.
44. Fleck NA, Hutchinson JWA. Phenomenological theory for strain gradient effects in plasticity. J Mech Phys Solids. 1993;41(12):1825-1857.
45. Fleck NA, Hutchinson JW. A reformulation of strain gradient plasticity. J Mech Phys Solids. 2001;49(10):2245-2271.
46. Akgoz B, Civalek O. Free vibration analysis of axially functionally graded tapered Bernoulli-Euler microbeams based on the modified
couple stress theory. Compos Struct. 2013;98:314-322.
47. Akgoz B, Civalek O. Buckling analysis of functionally graded microbeams based on the strain gradient theory. Acta Mech. 2013;224(9):
2185-2201.
48. Akgoz B, Civalek O. Bending analysis of embedded carbon nanotubes resting on an elastic foundation using strain gradient theory. Acta
Astronaut. 2016;119:1-12.
49. Akgoz B, Civalek O. Longitudinal vibration analysis for microbars based on strain gradient elasticity theory. J Vib Control. 2014;20(4):
606-616.
50. Sedighi HM. Size-dependent dynamic pull-in instability of vibrating electrically actuated microbeams based on the strain gradient elas-
ticity theory. Acta Astronaut. 2014;95:111-123.
16 CIVALEK ET AL.

51. Moory-Shirbani M, Sedighi HM, Ouakad HM, Najar F. Experimental and mathematical analysis of a piezoelectrically actuated multilay-
ered imperfect microbeam subjected to applied electric potential. Compos Struct. 2018;184:950-960.
52. Sedighi HM, Ouakad HM, Dimitri R, Tornabene F. Stress-driven nonlocal elasticity for the instability analysis of fluid-conveying C-BN
hybrid-nanotube in a magneto-thermal environment. Phys Scr. 2020;95(6):065204.
53. Jalaei MH, Civalek O. On dynamic instability of magnetically embedded viscoelastic porous FG nanobeam. Int J Eng Sci. 2019;143:
14-32.
54. Akgoz B, Civalek O. Effects of thermal and shear deformation on vibration response of functionally graded thick composite microbeams.
Compos Part B-Eng. 2017;129:77-87.
55. Akgoz B, Civalek O. A microstructure-dependent sinusoidal plate model based on the strain gradient elasticity theory. Acta Mech. 2015;
226(7):2277-2294.
56. Dastjerdi S, Akgoz B, Civalek O. On the effect of viscoelasticity on behavior of gyroscopes. Int J Eng Sci. 2020;149:103236.
57. Akgoz B, Civalek O. A novel microstructure-dependent shear deformable beam model. Int J Mech Sci. 2015;99:10-20.
58. Gürses M, Akgoz B, Civalek O. Mathematical modeling of vibration problem of nano-sized annular sector plates using the nonlocal con-
tinuum theory via eight-node discrete singular convolution transformation. Appl Math Comput. 2012;219(6):3226-3240.
59. Civalek O, Uzun B, Yaylı MÖ, Akgoz B. Size-dependent transverse and longitudinal vibrations of embedded carbon and silica carbide
nanotubes by nonlocal finite element method. Eur Phys J Plus. 2020;135(4):381.
60. Arda M, Aydogdu M. Torsional statics and dynamics of nanotubes embedded in an elastic medium. Compos Struct. 2014;114:80-91.
61. Li Y, Li M. Dynamic analysis of rotating double-tapered cantilever Timoshenko nano-beam using the nonlocal strain gradient theory.
Math Meth Appl Sci. 43(15):9206-9222. https://doi.org/10.1002/mma.6616
62. Abouelregal AE, Mohammed WW. Effects of nonlocal thermoelasticity on nanoscale beams based on couple stress theory. Math Meth
Appl Sci. 2020:1-17. https://doi.org/10.1002/mma.6764
63. Khorshidi MA, Soltani D. Nanostructure-dependent dispersion of carbon nanostructures: new insights into the modified couple stress
theory. Math Meth Appl Sci. 2020:1-17. https://doi.org/10.1002/mma.6748
64. Ma HM, Gao XL, Reddy JN. A microstructure-dependent Timoshenko beam model based on a modified couple stress theory. J Mech
Phys Solids. 2008;56(12):3379-3391.
65. Park SK, Gao XL. Bernoulli-Euler beam model based on a modified couple stress theory. J Micromech Microeng. 2006;16(11):2355-2359.
66. Reddy JN. Nonlocal theories for bending, buckling and vibration of beams. Int J Eng Sci. 2007;45(2–8):288-307.
67. Barretta R, Feo L, Luciano R, de Sciarra FM, Penna R. Functionally graded Timoshenko nanobeams: a novel nonlocal gradient formula-
tion. Compos Part B-Eng 2016;100:208–219.
68. Barretta R, Feo L, Luciano R, de Sciarra FM. Variational formulations for functionally graded nonlocal Bernoulli-Euler nanobeams.
Compos Struct. 2015;129:80-89.
69. Barretta R, Feo L, Luciano R. Torsion of functionally graded nonlocal viscoelastic circular nanobeams. Compos Part B-Eng. 2015;72:
217-222.
70. Sedighi HM, Daneshmand F, Zare J. The influence of dispersion forces on the dynamic pull-in behavior of vibrating nano-cantilever
based NEMS including fringing field effect. Arch Civ Mech Eng. 2014;14(4):766-775.
71. Koochi A, Sedighi HM, Abadyan M. Modeling the size dependent pull-in instability of beam-type NEMS using strain gradient theory.
Lat am J Solids Struct. 2014;11(10):1806-1829.
72. Sedighi HM, Daneshmand F, Abadyan M. Modified model for instability analysis of symmetric FGM double-sided nano-bridge: correc-
tions due to surface layer, finite conductivity and size effect. Compos Struct. 2015;132:545-557.
73. Zenkour AM. A novel mixed nonlocal elasticity theory for thermoelastic vibration of nanoplates. Compos Struct. 2018;185:821-833.
74. Zenkour AM. Nonlocal elasticity and shear deformation effects on thermal buckling of a CNT embedded in a viscoelastic medium. Eur
Phys J Plus. 2018;133:196.
75. Zenkour AM. A generalized thermoelastic dual-phase-lagging response of thick beams subjected to harmonically varying heat and pres-
sure. J Theor Appl Mech. 2018;56(1):15-30.
76. Zenkour AM. Modified couple stress theory for micro-machined beam resonators with linearly varying thickness and various boundary
conditions. Arch Mech Eng. 2018;65(1):43-64.
77. Sobhy M, Zenkour AM. Magnetic field effect on thermomechanical buckling and vibration of viscoelastic sandwich nanobeams with
CNT reinforced face sheets on a viscoelastic substrate. Compos Part B Eng. 2018;154:492-506.
78. Zenkour AM. Torsional dynamic response of a carbon nanotube embedded in Visco-Pasternak's medium. Math Model Anal. 2016;21(6):
852-868.
79. Abouelregal AE, Zenkour AM. Fractional viscoelastic Voigt's model for initially stressed microbeams induced by ultrashort laser heat
source. Waves Random Complex Media. 2020;30(4):687-703.
80. Abouelregal AE, Zenkour AM. Dynamic characteristics of initially stressed viscoelastic microbeams induced by ultra-intense lasers.
Indian J Phys. 2020;94:779-788.
81. Zenkour AM. Refined two-temperature multi-phase-lags theory for thermomechanical response of microbeams using the modified cou-
ple stress analysis. Acta Mech. 2018;229:3671-3692.
82. Zenkour AM. Vibration analysis of generalized thermoelastic microbeams resting on visco-Pasternak. Adv Aircr Spacecr Sci. 2017;4(3):
269-280.
CIVALEK ET AL. 17

83. Arefi M, Zenkour AM. Free vibration analysis of a three-layered microbeam based on strain gradient theory and three-unknown shear
and normal deformation theory. Steel Compos Struct. 2018;26(4):421-437.
84. Chi SH, Chung YL. Mechanical behavior of functionally graded material plates under transverse load—part I: analysis. Int J Solids
Struct. 2006;43:3657-3674.
85. Shen HS. Postbuckling of nanotube-reinforced composite cylindrical shells in thermal environments, part I: axially-loaded shells. Com-
pos Struct. 2011;93:2096-2108.

How to cite this article: Civalek Ö, Dastjerdi S, Akbaş ŞD, Akgöz B. Vibration analysis of carbon nanotube-
reinforced composite microbeams. Math Meth Appl Sci. 2021;1–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/mma.7069