Aerothermoelastic analysis of panel flutter based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation

摘要

Panels of reentry vehicles are subjected to a wide range of flow conditions during ascent and reentry phases. The flow can vary from subsonic continuum flow to hypersonic rarefied flow with wide ranging dynamic pressure and associated aerodynamic heating. One of the main design considerations is the assurance of safety against panel flutter under the flow conditions characterized by sever thermal environment. This paper deals with supersonic/hypersonic flutter analysis of panels exposed to a temperature field. A 3-D rectangular plate element of variable thickness based on absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) has been developed for the structural model and subjected to an assumed thermal profile that can result from any residual heat seeping into the metallic panels through the thermal protection systems. A continuum mechanics approach for the definition of the elastic forces within the finite element is considered. Both shear strain and transverse normal strain are taken into account. The aerodynamic force is evaluated by considering the first-order piston theory to linearize the potential flow and is coupled with the structural model to account for pressure loading. A provision is made to take into account the effect of arbitrary flow directions with respect to the panel edges. Aerothermoelastic equations using ANCF are derived and solved numerically. Values of critical dynamic pressure are obtained by a modal approach, in which the mode shapes are obtained by ANCF. A detailed parametric study is carried out to observe the effects of different temperature loadings, flow angle directions, and aspect ratios on the flutter boundary.