Flutter of a rectangular plate

We address theoretically the linear stability of a variable aspect ratio, rectangular plate in a uniform and incompressible axial flow. The flutter modes are assumed to be two-dimensional but the potential flow is calculated in three dimensions. For different values of aspect ratio, two boundary conditions are studied: a clamped-free plate and a pinned-free plate. We assume that the fluid viscosity and the plate viscoelastic damping are negligible. In this limit, the flutter instability arises from a competition between the destabilising fluid pressure and the stabilising flexural rigidity of the plate. Using a Galerkin method and Fourier transforms, we are able to predict the flutter modes, their frequencies and growth rates. The critical flow velocity is calculated as a function of the mass ratio and the aspect ratio of the plate. A new result is demonstrated: a plate of finite span is more stable than a plate of infinite span.     

Interaction between a cantilevered-free flexible plate and ideal flow

We develop a new computational model of the linear fluid–structure interaction of a cantilevered flexible plate with an ideal flow in a channel. The system equation is solved via numerical simulations that capture transients and allow the spatial variation of the flow–structure interaction on the plate to be studied in detail. Alternatively, but neglecting wake effects, we are able to extract directly the system eigenvalues to make global predictions of the system behaviour in the infinite-time limit. We use these complementary approaches to conduct a detailed study of the fluid–structure system. When the channel walls are effectively absent, predictions of the critical velocity show good agreement with those of other published work. We elucidate the single-mode flutter mechanism that dominates the response of short plates and show that the principal region of irreversible energy transfer from fluid to structure occurs over the middle portion of the plate. A different mechanism, modal-coalescence flutter, is shown to cause the destabilisation of long plates with its energy transfer occurring closer to the trailing edge of the plate. This mechanism is shown to allow a continuous change to higher-order modes of instability as the plate length is increased. We then show how the system response is modified by the inclusion of channel walls placed symmetrically above and below the flexible plate, the effect of unsteady vorticity shed at the trailing edge of the plate, and the effect of a rigid surface placed upstream of the flexible plate. Finally, we apply the modelling techniques in a brief study of upper-airway dynamics wherein soft-palate flutter is considered to be the source of snoring noises. In doing so, we show how a time-varying mean flow influences the type of instability observed as flow speed is increased and demonstrate how localised stiffening can be used to control instability of the flexible plate.     

Flutter and resonances of a flag near a free surface

We investigate the effects of a nearby free surface on the stability of a flexible plate in axial flow. Confinement by rigid boundaries is known to affect flag flutter thresholds and fluttering dynamics significantly, and this work considers the effects of a more general confinement involving a deformable free surface. To this end, a local linear stability is proposed for a flag in axial uniform flow and parallel to a free surface, using one-dimensional beam and potential flow models to revisit this classical fluid–structure interaction problem. The physical behaviour of the confining free surface is characterized by the Froude number, corresponding to the ratio of the incoming flow velocity to that of the gravity waves. After presenting the simplified limit of infinite span (i.e. two-dimensional problem), the results are generalized to include finite-span and lateral confinement effects. In both cases, three unstable regimes are identified for varying Froude number. Rigidly-confined flutter is observed for low Froude number, i.e. when the free surface behaves as a rigid wall, and is equivalent to the classical problem of the confined flag. When the flow and wave velocities are comparable, a new instability is observed before the onset of flutter (i.e. at lower reduced flow speed) and results from the resonance of a structural bending wave and one of the fundamental modes of surface gravity waves. Finally, for large Froude number (low effect of gravity), flutter is observed with significant but passive deformation of the free surface in response of the flag’s displacement.     

Aeroelastic analysis of an idealized landing gear door in subsonic potential flow

Landing gear doors on aircraft have experienced flutter during preliminary flight testing. While designs vary widely, landing gear doors are typically plate-like structures with a relatively rigid actuator attached to their inside surface. To better understand the aeroelasticity of landing gear doors, this study investigates the aeroelastic stability of an idealized model. The model consists of a hinged plate with an interior constraint approximating the actuator attachment. The plate is subject to uniform flow, and an unsteady vortex lattice model is coupled to the structural model to predict critical flow velocities. The location and footprint area of the internal constraint, along with plate aspect and mass ratios, are varied to investigate a large parameter space. Results reveal that the critical flow speed and instability mechanism are sensitive to the postulated actuator placement. In general, flutter is the dominant mode of instability when the actuator is postulated in the leading quarter of the plate. In other postulated locations, divergence dominates. However, the exact shape and location of the boundary between flutter and divergence is configuration dependent and found to be especially sensitive to changes in aspect ratio.     

The dynamics of two-dimensional cantilevered plates with an additional spring support in axial flow

In this paper, the dynamics of two-dimensional cantilevered flexible plates in axial flow is investigated using a fluid–structure interaction model. An additional spring support of either linear or cubic type is installed at various locations on the plate; its presence qualitatively affects the dynamics of the fluid–structure system. Without the spring, the cantilevered plate loses stability by flutter when the flow velocity exceeds a critical value; as the flow velocity increases further, the system dynamics is qualitatively the same: the plate undergoes symmetric limit cycle oscillations with increasing amplitude. With a linear spring, a state of static buckling is added to the dynamics. Rich nonlinear dynamics can be observed when a cubic spring is considered; the plate may be stable and buckled, and it may undergo either symmetric or asymmetric limit cycle oscillations. Moreover, when the flow velocity is sufficiently high, the plate may exhibit chaotic motions via a period-doubling route.     

LCO flutter of cantilevered woven glass/epoxy laminate in subsonic flow

The paper presents a cantilevered composite wing, aeroelastic characteristics of idealized as a composite flat plate laminate. The composite laminate was made from woven glass fibers with epoxy matrix. The elastic and dynamic properties of the laminate were determined experimentally for aeroelastic calculations. Aeroelastic wind tunnel testing of the laminate was performed and the result showed that flutter, a dynamic instability occurred. The cantilevered laminate also displayed limit cycle amplitude, post-flutter oscillation. The experimental flutter velocity and frequency were verified by our computational analysis.     

Flutter of a viscoelastic strip

The unsteady panel flutter of a viscoelastic strip is studied under the conditions when the pressure of aerodynamic interaction is specified by the relations distinct from the piston theory formulas. It is assumed that the flow velocity vector is directed in parallel to the plate plane at an angle to its edges. Some approximate estimates of the critical flutter speed are obtained.     

Flow-induced flutter instability of cantilever carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes are finding significant application to nanofluidic devices. This work studies the influence of internal moving fluid on free vibration and flow-induced flutter instability of cantilever carbon nanotubes based on a continuum elastic model. Since the flow-induced vibration of cantilever pipes is non-conservative in nature, cantilever carbon nanotubes conveying fluid are damped with decaying amplitude for flow velocity below a certain critical value. Beyond this critical flow velocity, flutter instability occurs and vibration becomes amplified with growing amplitude. Our results indicate that internal moving fluid substantially affects vibrational frequencies and the decaying rate of amplitude especially for longer cantilever carbon nanotubes of larger innermost radius at higher flow velocity, and the critical flow velocity for flutter instability in some cases may fall within the practical range. On the other hand, a moderately stiff surrounding elastic medium (such as polymers) can significantly suppress the effect of internal moving fluid on vibrational frequencies and suppress or eliminate flutter instability within the practical range of flow velocity.     

In-plane dynamics of a fluid-conveying corrugated pipe supported at both ends

The dynamics and stability of fluid-conveying corrugated pipes are investigated. The flow velocity is assumed to harmonically vary along the pipe rather than with time. The dimensionless equation is discretized with the differential quadrature method(DQM). Subsequently, the effects of the mean flow velocity and two key parameters of the corrugated pipe, i.e., the amplitude of the corrugations and the total number of the corrugations, are studied. The results show that the corrugated pipe will lose stability by flutter even if it has been supported at both ends. When the total number of the corrugations is sufficient, this flutter instability occurs at a micro flow velocity. These phenomena are verified via the Runge-Kutta method. The critical flow velocity of divergence is analyzed in detail. Compared with uniform pipes, the critical velocity will be reduced due to the corrugations, thus accelerating the divergence instability. Specifically,the critical flow velocity decreases if the amplitude of the corrugations increases. However, the critical flow velocity cannot be monotonously reduced with the increase in the total number of the corrugations. An extreme point appears, which can be used to realize the parameter optimization of corrugated pipes in practical applications.     

Analysis of coupled-mode flutter of pipes conveying fluid on the elastic foundation

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＦｌｕｉｄｉｎｄｕｃｅｄｖｉｂｒａｔｉｏｎｅｘｉｓｔｓｉｎｍａｎｙｅｎｇｉｎｅｅｒｉｎｇｆｉｅｌｄｓ.Ｔｈｅｖｉｂｒａｔｉｏｎａｎｄｓｔａｂｉｌｉｔｙｏｆｐｉｐｅｃｏｎｖｅｙｉｎｇｆｌｕｉｄｉｓａｔｙｐｉｃａｌｅｘａｍｐｌｅ.Ｍａｎｙｓｃｈｏｌａｒｓａｔｈｏｍｅａｎｄａｂｒｏａｄｈａｖｅａｌｗａｙｓｂｅｅｎｉｎｔｅｒｅｓｔｅｄｉｎｔｈｉｓｓｕｂｊｅｃｔａｎｄｍａｄｅａｌｏｔｏｆｓｔｕｄｉｅｓｏｆｉｔ.Ｐａｒｔｉｃｕｌａｒｌｙｄｕｒｉｎｇｒｅｃｅｎｔｄｅｃａｄｅｓ,ｓｏｍｅｒｅ…     

Vibrations and stability of a periodically supported rectangular plate immersed in axial flow

Vibrations and stability of a thin rectangular plate, infinitely long and wide, periodically supported in both directions (so that it is composed by an infinite number of supported rectangular plates with slope continuity at the edges) and immersed in axial liquid flow on its upper side is studied theoretically. The flow is bounded by a rigid wall and the model is based on potential flow theory. The Galerkin method is applied to determine the expression of the flow perturbation potential. Then the Rayleigh–Ritz method is used to discretize the system. The stability of the coupled system is analyzed by solving the eigenvalue problem as a function of the flow velocity; divergence instability is detected. The convergence analysis is presented to determine the accuracy of the computed eigenfrequencies and stability limits. Finally, the effects of the plate aspect ratio and of the channel height ratio on the critical velocity giving divergence instability and vibration frequencies are investigated.     

A STUDY ON ANNULAR LEAKAGE-FLOW-INDUCED VIBRATIONS

The flow-induced vibration for an annular leakage-flow system is studied theoretically and experimentally. The annular leakage-flow system consists of a fixed duct, a flexibly mounted inner cylinder allowed to move translationally and rotationally inside the duct, and a viscous fluid flow in the annular passage between the duct and the inner cylinder. A numerical method is developed to analyze the flutter instability of the flow-induced vibration of the inner cylinder. In the method, a critical flow rate is introduced to describe the flutter instability. The experiment on the annular leakage-flow-induced vibration is carried out, and a critical flow rate of the flutter instability is obtained for some annular leakage-flow systems with different passage increment ratios as well as the eccentricities. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental results.     

Limit cycle oscillations of two-dimensional panels in low subsonic flow

Limit cycle oscillations of a two-dimensional panel in low subsonic flow have been studied theoretically and experimentally. The panel is clamped at its leading edge and free at its trailing edge. A structural non-linearity arises in both the bending stiffness and the mass inertia. Two-dimensional incompressible (linear) vortex lattice aerodynamic theory and a corresponding reduced order aerodynamic model were used to calculate the linear flutter boundary and also the limit cycle oscillations (that occur beyond the linear flutter boundary).     

The Absolute Instability of Thin Wakes in an Incompressible/Compressible Fluid

RID="ID=" Communicated by P. HallAbstract:The absolute/convective instability of two-dimensional wakes forming behind a flat plate and near the trailing-edge of a thin wedge-shaped aerofoil in an incompressible/compressible fluid is investigated. The mean velocity profiles are obtained by solving numerically the classical compressible boundary-layer equations with a negative pressure gradient for the flat plate case, and the incompressible triple-deck equations for a thin wedge-shaped trailing-edge. In addition for a Joukowski aerofoil the incompressible mean boundary-layer flow in the vicinity of the trailing-edge is also calculated by solving the interactive boundary-layer equations. A linear stability analysis of the boundary-layer profiles shows that a pocket of absolute instability occurs downstream of the trailing-edge with the extent of the instability region increasing with more adverse pressure gradients. The region of absolute instability persists along the near-wake axis, while the majority of the wake is convectively unstable. For a thin wedge-shaped trailing-edge in an incompressible fluid, a similar stability analysis of the velocity profiles obtained via a composite expansion, also shows the occurrence of absolute instability behind the trailing-edge for a wedge angle greater than a critical value. For increasing values of the wedge angle and for thicker aerofoils, separation takes place near the trailing-edge and the extent of absolute instability increases. Calculations also show that for insulated plates compressibility has a stabilizing effect but cooling the wall destabilizes the flow unlike wall heating.} Received 11 May 1998 and accepted 25 February 1999     

Small scale effect on flow-induced instability of double-walled carbon nanotubes

Small scale effect on flow-induced instability of double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) is investigated using an elastic shell model based on Donnell’s shell theory. The dynamic governing equations of DWCNTs are formulated on the basis of nonlocal elasticity theory, in addition, the van der Waals (vdW) interaction between the inner and outer walls is taken into account in the nonlocal shell modeling. The instability of DWCNTs that is induced by a pressure-driven steady flow is investigated. The numerical computations indicate that as the flow velocity increases, DWCNTs have a destabilizing way to get through multi-bifurcations of the first and second bifurcations in turn. It is concluded that the natural frequency of DWCNTs and the critical flow velocity of the flow-induced instability are strictly related to the ratio of the length to the outer radius of DWCNTs, the pressure of the fluid and the small scale effects. Furthermore, it is interesting to observe that as the small scale effects are considered, the natural frequencies and the critical flow velocities of DWCNTs decrease as compared to the results with the classical (local) continuum mechanics, therefore, the small scale effects play an important role on performing the instability analysis in the fluid-conveying DWCNTs.     

A flexible rod in annular leakage flow: Influence of turbulence and equilibrium offset,and analysis of instability mechanisms

The linear stability of a flexible, cylindrical rod subjected to annular leakage flow is studied. The mathematical models developed by Li, Kaneko, and Hayama in 2002 and Fujita and Shintani in 2001 are bridged and extended, to account for a flexible rod with equilibrium offset (eccentricity) in laminar or turbulent leakage flow. Stability characteristics are analyzed numerically for a variety of configurations. It is found that simply supported rods may become unstable at a certain critical flow speed by either divergence or flutter, depending on dimensions and fluid/solid properties. It is furthermore found that the critical flow speed is quite insensitive to use of a laminar friction model at high Reynolds numbers in cases of divergence, but sensitive to it in cases of flutter. These findings are verified analytically though analysis of an energy equation. This equation shows that (i) divergence instability is independent of fluid friction; (ii) flutter instability is caused solely by fluid friction. It also suggests a possible explanation to the question of why a ‘wrong’ fluid friction assumption gives a too large critical flow speed in cases of flutter instability at a high Reynolds number.     

Period-doubling route to chaos in a two-degree-of-freedom flexibly-mounted rigid plate placed in water

Flow-induced instabilities of a flexibly-mounted rigid flat plate placed in water were investigated experimentally, when the plate had either one degree of freedom in the torsional direction or two degrees of freedom in the torsional and transverse directions. Tests were conducted in a re-circulating water tunnel and bifurcation diagrams were used to summarize the system behavior. The 1DoF system became unstable by divergence at a critical flow velocity after which the plate buckled. At higher flow velocities, periodic oscillations were observed and the amplitude of oscillations increased with increasing flow velocity. No other instability was observed at higher flow velocities. In the 1DoF system, the variations in the response frequency were related to the added mass moment of inertia. For the 2DoF system, the plate׳s original stability was lost at a critical flow velocity by divergence followed by a dynamic instability resulting in periodic oscillations, which in turn became unstable giving rise to period-2, period-4 and eventually chaotic oscillations.     

Low speed flutter and limit cycle oscillations of a two-degree-of-freedom flat plate in a wind tunnel

This paper explores the dynamical response of a two-degree-of-freedom flat plate undergoing classical coupled-mode flutter in a wind tunnel. Tests are performed at low Reynolds number (Re~2.5×10⁴), using an aeroelastic set-up that enables high amplitude pitch–plunge motion. Starting from rest and increasing the flow velocity, an unstable behaviour is first observed at the merging of frequencies: after a transient growth period the system enters a low amplitude limit-cycle oscillation regime with slowly varying amplitude. For higher velocity the system transitions to higher-amplitude and stable limit cycle oscillations (LCO) with amplitude increasing with the flow velocity. Decreasing the velocity from this upper LCO branch the system remains in stable self-sustained oscillations down to 85% of the critical velocity. Starting from rest, the system can also move toward a stable LCO regime if a significant perturbation is imposed. Those results show that both the flutter boundary and post-critical behaviour are affected by nonlinear mechanisms. They also suggest that nonlinear aerodynamic effects play a significant role.     

Linear stability of two-dimensional steady flow in wavy-walled channels

Linear stability of fully developed two-dimensional periodic steady flows in sinusoidal wavy-walled channels is investigated numerically. Two types of channels are considered: the geometry of wavy walls is identical and the location of the crest of the lower and upper walls coincides (symmetric channel) or the crest of the lower wall corresponds to the furrow of the upper wall (sinuous channel). It is found that the critical Reynolds number is substantially lower than that for plane channel flow and that when the non-dimensionalized wall variation amplitude is smaller than a critical value (about 0.26 for symmetric channel, 0.28 for sinuous channel), critical modes are three-dimensional stationary and for larger , two-dimensional oscillatory instabilities set in. Critical Reynolds numbers of sinuous channel flows are smaller for three-dimensional disturbances and larger for two-dimensional disturbances than those of symmetric channel flows. The disturbance velocity distribution obtained by the linear stability analysis suggests that the three-dimensional stationary instability is mainly caused by local concavity of basic flows near the reattachment point, while the critical two-dimensional mode resembles closely the Tollmien–Schlichting wave for plane Poiseuille flow.     

Instability of a slip flow in a curved channel formed by two concentric cylindrical surfaces

Instability of a slip flow in a curved channel formed by two concentric cylindrical surfaces is investigated. Two cases are considered. In the first (Taylor–Couette flow) case the flow is driven by the rotation of the inner cylindrical surface; no azimuthal pressure gradient is applied. In the second case (Dean flow) both cylindrical surfaces are motionless, and the flow is driven by a constant azimuthal pressure gradient. The collocation method is used to find numerically the critical values of the Taylor and Dean numbers, which establish the instability criteria for these two cases. The dependencies of critical values of these numbers on the ratio between the radii of concave and convex walls and on the velocity slip coefficient are investigated.