A dispersive wave equation using nonlocal elasticity

Nonlocal continuum mechanics allows one to account for the small length scale effect that becomes significant when dealing with micro- or nano-structures. This Note investigates a model of wave propagation in a nonlocal elastic material. We show that a dispersive wave equation is obtained from a nonlocal elastic constitutive law, based on a mixture of a local and a nonlocal strain. This model comprises both the classical gradient model and the Eringen's integral model. The dynamic properties of the model are discussed, and corroborate well some recent theoretical studies published to unify both static and dynamics gradient elasticity theories. Moreover, an excellent matching of the dispersive curve of the Born–Kármán model of lattice dynamics is obtained with such nonlocal model.