Design of a panel flutter experiment in a short duration hypersonic facility
This work discusses the design of a panel flutter experiment in a Mach 5.8 free-piston compression-heated Ludwieg tube. Small test duration, low freestream pressure and limited space available within the coreflow have driven the choice of boundary conditions, material and panel geometry. The test piece is a 100 mm long and 40 mm wide aluminium panel. The panel boundary condition is clamped-free-clamped-free, with the free edges parallel to the flow direction. The aerodynamic load can be varied by changing the inclination of the panel with respect to the freestream. The pressure in the cavity underneath the panel is reproduced passively by channelling the external flow and creating a recirculation region. Several strategies are employed to reduce the pressure differential between windward and cavity side of the panel. On the basis of steady-state simulations, analytical results and empirical laws, it is possible to state that panel can experience flutter during the test. Further investigation should focus on start-up transients and temperature effects.
