A framework for aeroelastic analysis employing higher-order structural and aerodynamic theories

Aeroelasticity is an essential tool for the analysis and design of structures whose operating conditionsinvolve the interaction with aerodynamic loads, and it finds application in aerospace, mechanical andcivil applications. Involving the analysis of generally complex interactions between fluids and structures,aeroelastic analyses tend to be computationally expensive, thus often resorting to suitable simplificationeither in the structural or aerodynamic modelling, so to reduce the computational burden. On the otherhand, the employment of composite materials in several engineering sectors has given the designer anunprecedented freedom in terms of design choices. In structures subjected to aeroelastic loads, the useof composite materials extends their operational capability, increasing the divergence and flutter speedand thus enhancing the static and dynamic aeroelastic response in a paradigm known as aeroelastictailoring. However, the employment of low-order structural theories may sometimes result in excessivesimplification of the overall aeroelastic problem. Recently, higher-order structural theories based ongeneralized structural formulations, such as the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF), have been developedand employed for aeroelastic analysis and have been coupled with simplified representations of theaerodynamic loads. In this work, a framework for aeroelastic analysis based on the employment ofCUF for composite plates and of high order aerodynamic models is presented. The resolution of theaerodynamic fields is provided by open source aerodynamic computational tools and it is coupled withthe CUF-based structural model of the composite structure for enhanced aeroelastic analysis. Somepreliminary results are presented to illustrate the scope and potential of the technique.