NONLINEAR FLUID-STRUCTURE INTERACTION OF CLAMPED SHELLS

The fluid structure interaction of shells and panels subjected to supersonic airflow has been investigated thoroughly in the past due to its importance in the aerospace industry. However, with advances in manufacturing, nuclear and biomedical engineering, there is a great need to further examine the nonlinear behaviour of shells in axial subsonic fluid flow. This paper describes an experimental and theoretical investigation of the nonlinear response of circular cylindrical shells subjected to axial fluid flow. The aim of this work was to gather important experimental data for (i) the critical flow velocity for instability, (ii) identifying the post-critical behaviour of the shell, and (iii) comparison with and validation of a new nonlinear theoretical model.