Computation of aerothermoelastic properties and active flutter control of CNT reinforced functionally graded composite panels in supersonic airflow

This paper presents an aerothermoelastic analysis of carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced functionally graded composite panels in supersonic airflow. Meanwhile, the active flutter control of CNT reinforced functionally graded composite panels is also carried out using the piezoelectric actuator and sensor. Reddy's third-order shear deformation theory is applied in the structural modeling. The equation of motion of the structural system is formulated using Hamilton's principle and the assumed mode method. The displacement feedback algorithm is used to design the controller. The frequency domain method is applied to investigate the aerothermoelastic properties and active flutter control effects of the panels. The influences of CNT distribution, aspect ratio and thickness-to-length ratio on the aerothermoelastic properties of the CNT reinforced functionally graded composite panels are analyzed. Active flutter control effects under different thicknesses of CNT reinforced functionally graded composite panels are investigated. The optimal area and position of piezoelectric patches are also obtained by the genetic algorithm.