Bifurcation analysis of a nanotube through which passes a nanostring

This paper deals with the local bifurcation analysis of a nanotube with a nanostring passing through it. Eringen’s two-phase local/nonlocal model and Eringen’s differential model are employed as constitutive equations. The governing equations are derived as two nonlinear first-order systems of ordinary differential equations. Nonlinear analysis is performed by using the Lyapunov–Schmidt method. The influence of the small length scale parameter and the phase parameter on critical buckling load, type of bifurcation and post-buckling shape of the nanotube is examined for both types of constitutive equations. Depending on the values of the small length scale parameter and the phase parameter, the critical buckling load corresponding to Eringen’s two-phase local/nonlocal model can be greater or less than that corresponding to Eringen’s differential model. It is shown that for both models supercritical pitchfork bifurcation occurs. The post-buckling shapes of nanotube, obtained by numerical integration, exhibit a qualitative difference between the two models.