Wave propagation in an embedded single-walled carbon nanotube

Previous studies on the dynamic behavior of the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) have been focused on analysis of the dispersion relations. In this article, wave propagation in the embedded SWCNT is investigated by modeling it as a nonlocal Timoshenko beam on the Winkler foundation with various boundary conditions. By means of the ray and modal approaches, the transient responses are analyzed and various small scale parameters examined. The analysis shows that the small scale effects smooth out the transient responses and result in instantaneous wave propagation. The wave propagation behavior is affected by the radius of a carbon nanotube, but not by its chirality. Dispersion relations with different small scale parameters are examined as well.