Aeroelastic Analysis of VAT Nano-Composite Plate

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of delamination on the flutter characteristics of a cantilevered variable angle-tow (VAT) nanocomposite plate. A multi-scale three-phase composite material composed of curvilinear graphite fibers and epoxy resin matrix reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) is considered for the study. A FE model for a delaminated composite plate is developed in MATLAB. To perform flutter analysis, the FE model is then linked to MSC. Nastran via Direct Matrix Abstraction Program (DMAP) module and the flutter problem is solved by the p-k method. The numerical investigation is carried out on both symmetric and unsymmetric VAT plates with delamination.