The effect of curvature in nonlinear supersonic flutter of panels with adjacent bays

摘要

Structural skins of aerospace vehicles are typically made of large, internally reinforced curved panels. The presence of stiffening components subdivides the panel into several bays that interact structurally. In this context, the present study investigates the effects of adjacent bays interaction in curved panels under supersonic flutter. The analyses reveal severe jumps in the post-flutter LCO amplitudes and sub-critical bifurcation with the coexistence of different LCO branches for a specific range of dynamic pressure. These discontinuities consist of abrupt changes in the LCO amplitudes, directly related to the nonlinear coupling between adjacent bays under supersonic flutter with strong sensitivity to initial conditions.