Static and dynamic analyses of nanoscale rectangular plates incorporating surface energy

In this paper, the Gurtin–Murdoch continuum theory is applied to develop a new continuum mechanics model for static and dynamic analyses of nanoscale rectangular plates. The relevant governing equations are established from basic principles. Analytical solutions for static and free vibration of nanoscale rectangular plates are presented for selected boundary conditions. A finite element method for the analysis of rectangular nanoplates is also developed to solve general cases that cannot be solved analytically. Expressions for stiffness and mass matrices and the load vector are derived by using a weighted residual formulation. A selected set of numerical results is presented to investigate the size-dependent static and free vibration response of plates and the influence of surface material properties and boundary conditions.