Numerical Analysis of Panel Flutter in Shells of Revolution

Abstract

A mathematical model is proposed to investigate panel flutter of revolution shells subject to external or internal supersonic gas flow. The mathematical formulation of the problem is constructed in terms of the virtual displacement principle, which is treated numerically by the finite element method. Consideration is given to the two alternatives of the shell relations based either on the Kirchhoff-Love hypothesis or on the generalized theory of shells by Timoshenko. A series of numerical experiments were performed to estimate the computational efficiency of the model and to compare its performance in the context of some problems in recently published solutions. A numerical analysis is performed to assess the effect of some factors (laminated structure, the stress-strain state due to preloading) on the boundary of aeroelastic stability and to allow comparison with the results obtained on the basis of considered shell theories.