Aeroelasticity and dynamic instability research of carbon nanotube reinforced composite laminated cylindrical shells under hygrothermal environment

Abstract

This study presents the aerodynamic stability and dynamic instability of hierarchical cylindrical shells reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and surface-bonded piezoelectric composite films. The analysis employs double-ended free boundary conditions under hygrothermal environment, explicitly accounting for the relationship between material properties and hygrothermal effects. Fundamental kinetic equations of the CNT-reinforced, piezoelectrically layered cylindrical shells are derived from Love’s classical thin-shell theory, which excludes the pyroelectric effects of the piezoelectric layers. The Rayleigh–Ritz method is employed for the numerical solution of the dynamic equations, through combining with Bolotin’s approach. Chebyshev polynomials discretize the displacement fields. In the meanwhile, aerodynamic loading is characterized using first-order linear piston theory with airflow deflection. Furthermore, the analysis systematically examines the influence of critical parameters, including Mach number, airflow deflection angle, CNT volume fraction, fiber orientation angle, temperature, humidity, static load parameters, piezoelectric layer properties, and applied voltage, on the aerodynamic stability boundaries and regions of dynamic instability.