Flutter Analysis of Tapered Composite Fins: Analysis and Experiment

Abstract

In the present work, the aeroelastic stability of tapered composite plates is investigated. Existing flutter models, based on the typical section approach, are reviewed for quasi-steady and unsteady low Mach number axial flows and modified for the thin composite tapered plates. The numerical approach, based on panel vortex methods for flutter analysis, is presented, and results are compared to typical section flutter methods for the tapered composite fins. Experimental work is performed in the subsonic wind tunnel at flow speeds of 20 – 30 m/s range. Good agreement between experimental, analytical, and numerical results is obtained, and it was concluded that the presented methodology could be used for estimating the flutter boundary velocities for the composite thin flat plates.