Cutting edge composite materials now play an essential role in micro/nano-structural systems. Micro/ Nano particles and/ or structural systems are embedded into a material matrix in order to enhance material properties, and make them a "smart material". A widely used type of smart material is piezoelectric materials, which have the property of piezoelectricity -an electromechanical effect that occurs in some micronano-structural materials. A further electromechanical effect called the flexoeletric effect is also induced due to the fact that strain gradient on the micro/nano scale provides an electrical polarization. In this work, the Finite Element Method (FEM) formulation for beam theories is used to investigate materials including both piezoelectric and flexoelectric effects. The variational form of 2D piezoelectric nanobeams with flexoelectric effect is also presented and solved using FEM. The results from beam theories and 2D planar beams will be compared with analytical solutions and other numerical techniques.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has received significant attention nearly from every part of the world because it is a critical technology approach to develop intelligent systems. The manufacturing sector is one part which exploits AI, especially in the product design stage towards smart manufacturing. The aim of this paper is to present an overview on how AI enhances the product design stage for smart manufacturing. First, the paper gives the overall understanding of smart manufacturing about its definition, importance, and characteristics. Then, it delivers a brief overview of product design and product design stages. The essential concepts of AI techniques as well as various AI applications in product design ranging from conceptual design, embodiment design and detail design are discussed. Finally, research challenges and future directions for using AI in product design are provided and discussed.