Combining effects of surface energy and non-local elasticity on the buckling of nanoplates

In this Letter, governing equations for the nanoscale plates with consideration of both surface effects and non-local elasticity are derived. The closed-form solutions for the critical buckling force of simply supported plates are obtained. Results show that the critical buckling force of the nanoplate increases with increasing surface effects and decreasing non-local parameter. The reduction of critical buckling force by shear deformation becomes significant as the thickness of the plate increases. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first Letter to deal with the stability of nanoplates by considering the combining effects of surface energy and non-local elasticity.