On dynamic instability of a pressurized functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced truncated conical shell subjected to yawed supersonic airflow

The aeroelastic flutter characteristics of a functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) truncated conical shell under simultaneous actions of a hydrostatic pressure and yawed supersonic airflow are scrutinized. The nonlinearity in geometry of the conical shell is considered in Green–Lagrange sense and the model is derived according to the Novozhilov nonlinear shell theory. The aerodynamic pressure is modeled based on the quasi-steady Krumhaar’s modified supersonic piston theory by considering the effect of the panel curvature and flow yaw angle. Parametric studies are conducted to investigate the effects of boundary conditions, semi-vertex angle, distribution and volume fraction of CNT, Mach number and airflow yaw angle on the stability boundaries and flutter characteristics. The results show that the semi-vertex angle and CNT distribution may alter the stability boundaries. It is also found that the aeroelastic flutter responses of the structure can be significantly improved through a functionally graded distribution of CNT in a polymer matrix. Moreover, the aeroelastic characteristics of the FG-CNTRC truncated conical shell are found to be very sensitive to geometrical parameters and the airflow yaw angle. The results of this study shed a light into developing and using ultra-high-strength and low-weight composites reinforced with CNT for aerospace applications.