Small-scale effects on buckling of multiwalled carbon nanotubes under axial compression

Based on the theory of nonlocal continuum mechanics, a multiple shell model is developed for the axial buckling of multiwalled carbon nanotubes under axial compression. The effects of small length scale are incorporated in this model. In particular, an explicit expression is derived for the axial buckling strain for a double-walled carbon nanotube. On the basis of this expression, the influence of the small length scale on the axial buckling strain is discussed. As a result, the effect of small length scale on the axial buckling strain is related to the buckling mode and the length-to-radial ratio.