Nonlinear bending and stretching of a circular graphene sheet under a central point load.

Understanding of the bending and stretching properties of graphene is crucial in guiding its growth and applications. In this paper, we investigate the deformation of a single layer, circular, graphene sheet under a central point load by carrying out molecular mechanics (MM) simulations. The bending and stretching of the graphene sheet are characterized by using the von Kármán plate theory. Stress concentrations near the loaded region and the boundary due to bending rigidity of the graphene sheet are highlighted. It is shown herein that, with properly selected parameters, the von Kármán plate theory can provide a remarkably accurate prediction of the graphene sheet behavior under linear and nonlinear bending and stretching.