Suppression of aero-thermal large deflections and snap-through behaviors of composite panels using Macro Fiber Composite actuators

The behavior of composite panel embedded Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) actuators subject to combined aerodynamic, thermal and piezoelectric loads is investigated. This study shows how the aero-thermal large deflection of the composite panel can be suppressed using MFC actuators; however, the excessive actuation of the MFC can cause snap-through phenomena. In addition, the characteristics of the vibration, thermal postbuckling and flutter of the composite panel embedded MFC actuators are investigated. The panel is modeled by the nonlinear finite element method based on the first-order shear deformation plate theory. The von Karman strain–displacement relation is used to account for the large deflection of the panel, and the cylindrical arclength method is adopted to simulate the snap-through behavior of the panel. The aerodynamic load model is based on the first-order quasi-steady piston theory. The numerical results show that MFC actuators can improve the performance of the panel; however, snap-through behavior can occur when excessive actuation of the MFC is applied to suppress the aero-thermal large deflection of the panel.