Stability of rectangular plates in subsonic flow with various boundary conditions

The aeroelastic stability of rectangular plates in subsonic flow is well documented in literature. For example, the stability of a cantilever plate with a clamped edge parallel to the flow is well understood due to the similarity of this system to an aircraft wing. However, an ongoing push for lighter aerospace structures and novel designs requires advancing the understanding of the aeroelastic stability of plates with nonconventional boundary condition combinations. This paper summarizes the aeroelastic theory and experimental results on the flutter and/or divergence mechanisms of a rectangular plate with different sets of structural boundary conditions. The theory combines a linear plate structural model with a three-dimensional vortex lattice aerodynamic mode to create a high-fidelity frequency domain aeroelastic model. The paper also discusses the development of a modular experimental test bed to test the different boundary conditions.Apair of well-understood boundary condition configurations acts as validation points, and then results of additional configurations that have not been extensively explored are presented. The results of this paper can be used to support the design efforts of projects involving plates or plate membranes. In addition, the paper adds to the fundamental understanding of plate aeroelasticity and provides experimental data for comparison and future validation. Copyright

Duke Scholars

Author Earl H. Dowell Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materia ...