Dynamic Response of Pre/Post Buckled Thin-Walled Structure under Thermo-Acoustic Loading

Abstract

Advanced aircraft and spacecraft structures are exposed to increasingly severe operating environments, including a combination of mechanical, aerodynamic, acoustic and thermal loads. Such loading conditions can cause thin-walled structures to respond in a nonlinear fashion and exhibit complex response characteristics. This paper investigates the dynamic response of pre/post buckled thin-walled structure under high level random acoustic loading. Firstly, different orders of critical buckling temperatures and modal frequencies under alternative temperatures are obtained using Finite Element Method (FEM), and the modal frequency changes in a disorder fashion are discussed in detail. Then with coupled BEM/FEM method, the dynamic responses including transverse displacement, strain and stress of a stiffened rectangular plate under thermo-acoustic loading are simulated. By comparing the response characteristics of the plate in pre/post buckled conditions, some valuable conclusions are derived, which can be used to explain the response behaviours of thin-walled structures.