An investigation on the aeroelastic flutter characteristics of FG-CNTRC beams in the supersonic flow

The present research is dedicated to the aeroelastic analysis of functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) beams subjected to aerodynamic load and axial compression, simultaneously. The nonlinear dynamic equations of FG-CNTRC beams are obtained according to the von Karman type of geometrical nonlinearity along with the first-order shear deformation theory. The aerodynamic pressure is estimated in accordance with the quasi-steady supersonic piston theory. Harmonic differential quadrature method (HDQM) is applied to discretize the dynamic equations in the spatial domain. The aeroelastic flutter and buckling bounds are calculated via the derivations of natural frequencies and bifurcation points. Influences of boundary conditions, geometrical parameters, volume fraction and distribution of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and Mach number on the stability boundaries and deformation shapes are put into evidence through a set of parametric studies. It is found that the presence of the aerodynamic pressure not only increases the critical buckling load of the FG-CNTRC beam, but also alters deformation configurations of the beam. Furthermore, the results indicate that aeroelastic characteristics of FG-CNTRC beams may be noticeably enhanced through FG-X distribution of the CNTs.