He, XiaoqiaoQu, Chuan-YongQin, Qing HuaWang, C.M.2015-12-100219-4554http://hdl.handle.net/1885/55884Buckling and postbuckling behaviors of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) under a compressive force are studied. MWCNTs are modeled by Donnell's shallow shell nonlinear theory with the allowance of van der Waals (vdW) interaction between the walls. It is shown herein that the buckling load decreases while the buckling strain increases as the innermost radius of MWCNT increases. For the postbuckling behavior, the shortening-load curves show an initial steep gradient that gradually level up when the radius of the innermost tube changes from a small value to a large value. However, the deflection-load curves are almost level for various radii of MWCNTs. In addition, the analytical results showed that the shortening-load curves are almost linear but the deflection-load curves are nonlinear and the stability of MWCNTs can be enhanced by adding tubes.Keywords: Mathematical models; Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCN); Nonlinear analysis; Van der Waals forces; Classical thin shell theory; Continuum model; Postbuckling; Buckling Carbon nanotubes; Classical thin shell theory; Continuum model; Postbuckling; Van der Waals force200710.1142/S02194554070024602015-12-09