Analysis of Size-Dependent Linear Static Bending, Buckling, and Free Vibration Based on a Modified Couple Stress Theory

The purposes of this paper are to study bending, buckling, and vibration by considering micro-scale effects using the Kirchhoff thin-plate theory and to consider small deflections, neglecting higher-order nonlinear terms. The governing equations for the bending, buckling, and vibration of the system are obtained using the equilibrium method coupled with the Kirchhoff thin-plate theory and a modified couple stress theory (MCST). The concept of the equivalent bending stiffness (EBS) of micro-thin plates is proposed to describe the scale effect. The Navier method is used to obtain analytical solutions for the bending, buckling, and free vibration of thin plates under simply supported boundary conditions with scale effects. The numerical results are presented to investigate the influence of scale effects on deflection, critical buckling load, buckling topography, and thin-plate natural frequency. The results show that the scale effect increases the equivalent stiffness of the thin plate, which leads to a decrease in deflection, a larger critical buckling load, and an increase in natural frequency, but does not affect the buckling topography. The MSCT is invalid when the thickness is greater than 10 times the scale effect parameter, thus defining the scope of application of the scale effect. This research study may contribute to the design of micro-scale devices such as MEMSs/NEMSs.