Buckling and postbuckling analysis of multi-walled carbon nanotubes based on the continuum shell model

Buckling and postbuckling behaviors of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) under a compressive force are studied. MWCNTs are modeled by Donnell's shallow shell nonlinear theory with the allowance of van der Waals (vdW) interaction between the walls. It is shown herein that the buckling load decreases while the buckling strain increases as the innermost radius of MWCNT increases. For the postbuckling behavior, the shortening-load curves show an initial steep gradient that gradually level up when the radius of the innermost tube changes from a small value to a large value. However, the deflection-load curves are almost level for various radii of MWCNTs. In addition, the analytical results showed that the shortening-load curves are almost linear but the deflection-load curves are nonlinear and the stability of MWCNTs can be enhanced by adding tubes.