Hypersonic flutter analysis based on three-dimensional local piston theory

Hypersonic vehicle has become a research hotspot these years. Hypersonic vehicles’ characteristics and working conditions led to special and significant aeroelastic flutter problems. Meanwhile, traditional flutter analysis methods are no longer suitable for super/hypersonic conditions. The local piston theory (LPT) is introduced and modified for the three-dimensional (3D) objects to express the unsteady aerodynamic force explicitly, and a tightly coupled state-space aeroelastic equation is derived. Then a hypersonic flutter analysis method is developed. A supersonic fin model with wind tunnel test results is used to verify the accuracy of this method. By comparing with wind tunnel test data, the effectiveness of the method is proved. This method can analyze 3D complex objects with both high accuracy and high efficiency, while suitable for high angle of attack (AOA) and wide Mach number range conditions.