An aerothermoelastic analysis framework with reduced-order modeling applied to composite panels in hypersonic flows

This study describes the enhancement of a computational framework for aerothermoelasticity using novel model order reduction techniques and efficient coupling schemes. First, the fluid solver for hypersonic aerothermodynamics is accelerated using a reduced order model. The flexibility of the reduced order model is enhanced using a novel correction and scaling technique, which accounts for non-uniform temperature distribution, varying flight conditions and geometrical scales using analytical pointwise models. Secondly, based on the reduced order model, a tightly-coupled scheme and linearized stability analysis are developed for fast aerothermoelastic simulation of extended flight time and automatic identification of aerothermoelastic instabilities, respectively. The enhanced framework is accelerated by a factor of 10⁴ so that near-real-time aerothermoelastic simulation is achieved. Finally, using the enhanced framework, the aerothermoelastic response of a generic skin panel is studied emphasizing the effect of flow orientation angle and material orthotropicity on the aerothermoelastic stability boundary. It is found that a combination of flow orientation angle and material orientation can significantly extend the aerothermoelastic stability boundary, i.e. the time elapsed before the onset of structural failure.