LAUSR

Abstract This paper presents a nonlinear electro-dynamic analysis for a size dependent micro-beam made of materials with nonlinear elasticity by employing the modified couple stress theory based on Euler–Bernoulli beam model. By employing Hamilton's principle, the nonlinear partial differential governing equation is derived then solved by using Galerkin method in the space domain and backward differential method in the time domain to obtain the nonlinear electro-dynamic response and phase portrait of the micro-beam. A parametric study is conducted, with a particular focus on the influences of nonlinear elasticity and size-dependency of the micro-beam on its nonlinear dynamic behavior. Numerical results show that a micro-beam exhibiting nonlinear elastic stress–strain relationship has reduced effective stiffness while the size effect has the opposite effect.