Aeroelastic behavior of composite panels undergoing progressive damage

Abstract

A finite element model for predicting the nonlinear aeroelastic behavior of composite panels undergoing intralaminar and translaminar progressive damage in supersonic flow is presented. The classical plate theory in conjunction with the von Kármán nonlinear strains is used for structural modeling, and the linear piston theory is used to model the aerodynamic loads. Progressive damage is modeled by a smeared cracking formulation in which stress-based, continuum damage mechanics and fracture mechanics approaches are combined. No modal reduction is performed and an iterative form of the Newmark method is used for the numerical direct integration in time of the nonlinear equations. Simulations considering different lay-ups are conducted, in which the influence of progressive damage on the aeroelastic behavior of the panels is investigated, and damage extent and failure mechanisms are assessed. The results obtained in the analyses consist in important insights concerning the flutter-induced damage in composite panels.