Parameter Study of Nonlinear Aero-thermoelastic Behavior of Functionally Graded Plates

In this paper, the effects of different parameters on the nonlinear aeroelastic behavior of functionally graded flat plates are investigated. Considering the through-the-thickness continuous variation of the material properties, a combination of the simple rule of mixtures and the Mori–Tanaka scheme is used for estimating the effective properties at each point. The von-Karman large strains and the piston theory are used to model the structural nonlinearity and aerodynamic loading, respectively. By Hamilton's principle the governing nonlinear partial differential equations of motion are derived and then converted to a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations using the Galerkin method. The system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations is solved in the time domain using the time integration schemes to determine the aeroelastic response. It is shown that for in-plane-loaded functionally graded plates with temperature-independent material properties, less stability capacity is predicted by the Mori–Tanaka scheme than by the simple rule of mixtures.