Exploratory Study on the Design of Combined Aero-Thermo-Structural Experiments in High Speed Flows

This thesis describes potential configurations and responses of panels for experimental tests investigating fluid-thermal-structural interactions. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are both interested in hypersonic vehicles due to their incredible capabilities for long range strike, surveillance and responsive access to space. These vehicles experience combined extreme aerodynamic heating and pressure loads. In addition, the structural loads are greatly affected by temperature-dependent material properties. Prediction of the response of these structures requires accurate, coupled fluid-thermal-structural analysis over long time records. High fidelity modeling over these long trajectories is prohibitively expensive computationally. In addition, validation of approximate models is limited due to the lack of experimental data capturing coupled fluid-thermal-structural interactions.The aim of this thesis is to explore the potential for experimental studies of fluid-thermal-structural interactions for validation and basic discovery purposes. Panel flutter is examined in this study, due to a simpler configuration for modeling. In order to accomplish the goal of this work, potential experimental facilities are explored to determine the conditions under which panels could be tested. An examination of common nondimensional parameters related to panel flutter is conducted to determine the utility of these parameters. A study of different panel configurations is conducted to determine the effect on panel response of varying flow conditions, boundary conditions and panel materials. Finally, the potential panel configurations that could be tested in two different facilities are discussed.It is found that there is a range of potential panel configurations that could be examined experimentally. For smaller facilities, the difference between the thinnest and thickest panels which exhibit a buckled response followed by the onset of instability is small and could lead to difficulties when manufacturing test articles. For larger facilities, this range is larger leading enabling more relaxed tolerances. In addition, it is found that while the structural boundary conditions have a significant effect on panel response, changing the thermal support conditions has a less significant effect on overall panel response. Varying thickness and panel material can result in larger thermal moments in the panel which can affect the utility of existing nondimensional parameters. It is also found that existing nondimensional parameters can provide some use in the sizing of panels for experimental tests. The overall conclusion is that limited experimental testing of fluid-thermal-structural interactions is feasible in existing facilities.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Mechanical Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

The Ohio State University

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Witeof, Zachary

Contributors dc:contributor

• McNamara, Jack

• Aerospace Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Hypersonic
• Fluid-Structure Interaction
• Aerothermoelasticity
• Panel Flutter
• Fluid-Thermal-Structural Interaction

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1366213825

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:osu1366213825