Dynamic Analysis of Single Walled Boron Nitride Nanotube Reinforced Composite Based Nanomechanical Resonator

Abstract

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) possess extremely high stiffness and strength and may provide the ultimate reinforcing materials for the development of nanocomposites. In this paper, the Young’s modulus of BNNT based composites are evaluated using a 3-D nanoscale representative volume element based on continuum mechanics (CM) and using the finite element method (FEM). Additionally, the suitability of the BNNTs reinforced polymeric composites as nanomechanical resonators, using CM based approach and FEM is illustrated in this paper. Analytical formulas based on CM are used to examine the mass sensitivity of single walled BNNT (SWBNNT) reinforced composite considered as a thin wall BNNT for different aspect ratios and volume fractions of BNNT in composites. The FEM analysis, considering SWBNNT as a transversely anisotropic material is performed and results are compared with the CM based approach. The results indicated that the mass sensitivity of SWBNNT reinforced composite based nanomechanical resonators can reach 10−3 fg and a logarithmically linear relationship exists between the resonant frequency and the attached mass, when mass is larger than 10−3 fg. The simulation results which have been obtained based on FEM are found to be in good agreement with the analytical approach used in this paper.