Asymmetric Bifurcation of Initially Curved Nanobeam

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the asymmetric bifurcation behavior of an initially curved nanobeam accounting for Lorentz and electrostatic forces. The beam model was developed in the framework of Euler–Bernoulli beam theory, and the surface effects at the nanoscale were taken into account in the model by including the surface elasticity and the residual surface tension. Based on the Galerkin decomposition method, the model was simplified as two degrees of freedom reduced order model, from which the symmetry breaking criterion was derived. The results of our work reveal the significant surface effects on the symmetry breaking criterion for the considered nanobeam.