Mutual interactions between a thin flexible panel and supersonic flows

This paper discusses the mutual interactions between a thin flexible aluminum plate and supersonic flow using two-dimensional (2D) numerical simulations. Fully compressible Navier–Stokes equations loosely coupled with the Venant–Kirchhoff equations to model elastic structural dynamics with large deformations are solved using an open source library, SU2. Turbulence closure is achieved through the large eddy simulation technique. The configuration considered in this research effort is based on an experiment in which a thin flexible panel with a thickness of 1.02 mm and a 50.8 mm overhang at the outer edge of a backward-facing step is exposed to Mach 2 flow. The computational framework was first validated against measurements for both the initial transients of 10 ms and the fully started conditions at 0.4 s. Then, numerical studies were performed to analyze the fluid–structure interactions at four different Mach numbers between 0.5 and 3. The flow behavior revealed distinct phenomena, including shear layer separation for subsonic and transonic flows, and a fully enclosed recirculation region under the overhang in supersonic cases. The time-averaged flow field identified potential temperature hotspots during the initial transients, which intensified as time evolved. For Mach 0.50, the amplitude of the thin-panel oscillations increased as the flow transitioned from transient to steady-state conditions. In the transonic case (M = 0.95), the oscillation amplitude became significantly larger, potentially leading to resonant behavior and structural failure (we did not model failure). However, in the supersonic cases, the oscillations stabilized and were sustained after the initial transients.