Nonlocal elasticity approach for free longitudinal vibration of circular truncated nanocones and method of determining the range of nonlocal small scale

The free longitudinal vibration of a circular truncated nanocone is investigated based on the nonlocal elasticity theory. Exact analytical formulations for tapered nanostructures are derived and the nonlinear differential governing equation of motion is developed. The nonlocal small scale effect unavailable in classical continuum theory is addressed to reveal the long-range interaction of atoms implicated in nonlocal constitutive relation. Unlike most previous studies applying the truncation method to the infinite higher-order differential equation, this paper aims to consider all higher-order terms to show the overall nonlocality. The explicit solution of nonlocal stress for longitudinal deformation is determined and it is an infinite series incorporating the classical stress derived in classical mechanics of materials and the infinite higher-order derivative of longitudinal displacement. Subsequently, the first three modes natural frequencies are calculated numerically and the significant effects of nonlocal small scale and vertex angle on natural frequencies are examined. The coupling phenomenon of natural frequency is observed and it is induced by the combined effects of nonlocal small scale and vertex angle. The critical value of nonlocal small scale is defined, and after that a new proposal for determining the range of nonlocal small scale is put forward since the principle of choosing the nonlocal small scale is still unclear at present. Additionally, two different types of nonlocal effects, namely the nonlocal stiffness weakening and strengthening, reversed phenomena existing in nanostructures are observed and verified. Hence the opposite nonlocal effects are resolved again clearly. The nano-engineers dealing with a circular truncated nanocone-based sensors and oscillators may benefit from the present work.