A strain gradient approach to the analysis of nanoarches

Abstract

Size effects observed in the mechanical behavior of micro- and nanostructures cannot be modeled by means of classical continuum mechanics. Enhanced continuum models based on nonlocal integro-differential or higher-order differential formulations have shown, on the contrary, that size effect can be modeled when appropriate modifications to the constitutive model are considered. The use of these models has been rapidily growing but their application to nanoarches appears not to have been fully investigated so far. In this contribution, we focus on a strain gradient formulation for thin arches. NURBS interpolations are considered in order to satisfy the high-order continuity requirement imposed by the strain gradient formulation and to interpolate the exact geometry of circular nanobeams.