Transverse shear and normal deformation effects on vibration behaviors of functionally graded micro-beams

A quasi-three dimensional model is proposed for the vibration analysis of functionally graded(FG)micro-beams with general boundary conditions based on the modified strain gradient theory.To consider the effects of transverse shear and nor-mal deformations,a general displacement field is achieved by relaxing the assumption of the constant transverse displacement through the thickness.The conventional beam theories including the classical beam theory,the first-order beam theory,and the higher-order beam theory are regarded as the special cases of this model.The material proper-ties changing gradually along the thickness direction are calculated by the Mori-Tanaka scheme.The energy-based formulation is derived by a variational method integrated with the penalty function method,where the Chebyshev orthogonal polynomials are used as the basis function of the displacement variables.The formulation is validated by some comparative examples,and then the parametric studies are conducted to investigate the effects of transverse shear and normal deformations on vibration behaviors.

Exact 3D Thermoelastic Solutions for a Penny-Shaped Crack in an Infinite Magnetoelectric Medium

Exact solutions of three-dimensional(3D)crack problems are much less in number than those of two-dimensional ones,especially for multi-field coupling media exhibiting a certain kind of material anisotropy.An exact3Dthermoelastic solution has been reported for a uniformly heated penny-shaped crack in an infinite magnetoelectric space,with impermeable electromagnetic conditions assumed on the crack faces.Exact 3Dsolutions for the penny-shaped crack subjected to uniform or point temperature load are further presented here when the crack faces are electrically and magnetically permeable.The solutions,obtained by the potential theory method,are exact in the sense that all field variables are explicitly derived and expressed in terms of elementary functions.Along with the previously reported solution,the limits or bounds of the stress intensity factor at the crack-tip for a practical crack can be identified.

A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Disaster News in Chinese and American Media

Mass media has become an important platform for countries to connect with the outside world and exchange information.However,due to the differences in values,beliefs,and conventions of each country,misunderstandings are likely to occur in the processes of reading,translation,and communication.Catastrophic news,as an indispensable part of news reporting,is worth studying,especially the differences in this kind of news between China and American,to find out the cultural reasons leading to inconsistencies.This study selects some of the disaster reports in People’s Daily and Washington Post to examine what are reported and how they are reported,and then uses Hofstede’s Theory of Cultural Dimension to explore the cultural values reflected in the different features of Chinese and American catastrophic news.The results show that China and the US are quiet different in power distance,collectivism or individualism,and uncertainty avoidance.