Nonlinear vibration of a buckled/damaged BNC nanobeam transversally impacted by a high-speed C₆₀

Nanotube can be used as a mass sensor. To design a mass sensor for evaluating a high-speed nanoparticle, in this study, we investigated the impact vibration of a cantilever nanobeam being transversally collided by a high-speed C₆₀ at the beam's free end with an incident velocity of v_In. The capped beam contains alternately two boron nitride zones and two carbon zones on its cross section. Hence, the relaxed beam has elliptic cross section. The vibration properties were demonstrated by molecular dynamics simulation results. Beat vibration of a slim beam can be found easily. The 1st and the 2nd order natural frequencies (f₁ and f₂) of the beam illustrate the vibration of beam along the short and the long axes of its elliptic cross section, respectively. f₂ decreases with increasing temperature. A minimal value of v_In leads to the local buckling of the beam, and a different minimal v_In leading to damage of the beam. For the same system at a specified temperature, f₂ varies with v_In. When the beam bends almost uniformly, f₂ decreases linearly with v_In. If v_In becomes higher, the beam has a cross section which buckles locally, and the buckling position varies during vibration. If v_In approaches the damage velocity, a fixed contraflexture point may appear on the beam due to its strong buckling. Above the damage velocity, f₂ decreases sharply. These results have a potential application in design of a mass sensor.