Effects of structural damping on composite panel flutter

Abstract

The governing equation for the analysis of panel flutter of composite plates including structural damping is derived using the energy method. The classical lamination theory is applied to structural modeling and the eigenvalue problem is obtained by the Rayleigh-Ritz method. The unsteady aerodynamic load in supersonic flow is computed by the piston theory. The critical dynamic pressures for composite plate are calculated to investigate the effects of structural damping on the flutter boundaries. The effect of structural damping on the flutter boundaries of composite plates is investigated with the variation of fiber orientation. The structural damping plays an important role in the flutter stability with low aerodynamic damping but would not affect the flutter boundary with high aerodynamic damping.