Nonlinear flutter of tapered and skewed cantilevered plates with curvilinear fiber paths

Abstract Aeroelastic stability of tapered/skew variable stiffness composite cantilevered plates are considered in the current study at flutter and post-flutter regions. The variable stiffness behavior is obtained by altering the fiber angles continuously according to a selected curvilinear fiber path function in the composite laminates. Flutter speed, limit cycle oscillations (LCOs), and bifurcation diagrams of tapered/skewed plates are obtained at two different fiber path functions. Nonlinear structural model is utilized based on the virtual work principle. Fully nonlinear Green’s kinematic strain relations are used to account for the geometric nonlinearities and the first order shear deformation theory (FSDT) is employed to generalize the formulation for the case of moderately thick plates including transverse shear effects. One prominent target of the present study is to determine how the variable stiffness parameters affect the nonlinear behavior. Consequently, one may find the best fiber path with improved flutter and post-flutter characteristics for tapered/skew plates in supersonic flow. First order linear piston theory is used to model the aerodynamic loading. In order to get a reliable solution, the Generalized Differential Quadrature (GDQ) method is employed. Moreover, time integration of the equations of motion is carried out using the Newmark’s average acceleration technique. It will be shown that taperness/skewness as well as variable stiffness lamination parameters have significant effects on the aeroelastic stability margins. In addition, the post-critical behavior is found to be periodic or quasi-periodic at all the presented simulations with no specific route to chaos.