Supersonic flutter analysis of annular/circular sandwich panels containing magnetorheological fluid

Abstract

The present study investigates the effect of magnetorheological fluids on the aeroelastic stability and flutter boundaries of the circular/annular magnetorheological (MR) sandwich plates in a supersonic airflow. The linear piston theory is employed to formulate the external force applied to the structure due to the aerodynamic pressure. The classical plate theory along with Hamilton’s principle is used to derive governing equations of motion of the sandwich plate. The assumed mode method is utilized to solve the equations and identify the flutter boundaries of the structure. In order to demonstrate validity of the developed model, an experiment is conducted on a circular MR sandwich plate to characterize dynamic properties of the structure, under different levels of the magnetic field, in terms of the resonant frequencies. Then, the verified model is employed to investigate the effects of MR fluid, magnetic field, boundary condition and inner/outer radius of the circular/annular MR sandwich plate on the aerodynamic instability of the structure. The results highlight the significance of the MR fluid in extending flutter boundaries of the annular/circular sandwich plates in the supersonic airflow.