Effect of nonlocal thermoelasticity on buckling of axially functionally graded nanobeams

In this work, the thermal effect on the buckling response of the axially functionally graded (AFG) nanobeams is studied based on the nonlocal thermoelasticity theory. Size effects of elastic deformation and heat conduction are considered simultaneously. Non-uniform distribution of temperature along the longitudinal direction of the AFG nanobeams is taken into account and determined by the nonlocal heat conductive law. Equations of motion and the corresponding boundary conditions are derived with the aid of the variational principle within the sinusoidal shear deformation theory and the nonlocal thermoelasticity theory. Ritz method is used to obtain the solutions for the thermal buckling response of the AFG nanobeams with various boundary conditions. Numerical results addressing the significance of the AFG index, the nonlocal parameters of elasticity and heat conduction, and the transverse shear deformation on the buckling behavior are displayed. It is found that, in addition to the nonlocal effect of elasticity, the nonlocal heat conduction plays an important role in analyzing the thermal-mechanical behaviors of the FG nanostructures.