Nonlinear aerothermoelastic analysis of composite laminated panels using a general higher-order shear deformation zig-zag theory

A general higher-order shear deformation zig-zag theory is proposed for predicting the nonlinear aerothermoelastic characteristics of composite laminated panels subjected to supersonic airflow. The von Karman strains are employed to describe the structural nonlinearity of the panels, and the quasi-steady first-order piston theory is adopted to calculate the aerodynamic loads. The discretized equations governing the aerothermoelastic motion of the panels are established using the nonlinear finite element method. The proposed higher-order shear deformation zig-zag theory employs seven variables to represent the displacement field of the panel in a unified form, which is capable of accommodating various plate theories available in the literature, including the Kirchhoff plate theory, the Mindlin-Reissner plate theory and other higher-order shear deformation plate theories. The validity of the present model is confirmed by comparing the computed results with those solutions available in the literature. The aerothermoelastic behaviors (including the critical buckling, limit-cycle oscillation and flutter boundary) for composite laminated panels with different geometrical dimensions, temperature gradients and fiber orientations are examined. The discrepancies of the aerothermoelastic characteristics of composite laminated panels determined by different structural theories are discussed in detail. Physical insight into the mechanism of the differences among the aerothermoelastic behaviors of the panels determined by different plate theories is provided.