Nonlinear flutter of two-dimensional simply supported symmetric composite laminated plates

The nonlinear flutter behavior of a two-dimensional simply supported symmetric composite laminated plate at high supersonic Mach number has been investigated. Yon Karman's large deflection plate theory and quasisteady aerodynamic theory have been employed. Galerkin's method has been used to reduce the governing equations to a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations in time, which are then solved by a direct numerical integration method. Nonlinear flutter results are presented with the effects of aerodynamic damping, in-plane force, static pressure differential, and anisotropic properties. Results show that the anisotropic properties such as fiber orientation and elastic modulus ratio have significant effects on the behavior of both limit cycle oscillation and chaotic motion.