Non-linear panel flutter in remote post-critical domains

The non-linear behavior of an elastic panel subjected to the combination of supersonic gas flow and quasi-static loading in the middle surface is studied. Particular attention is focused on the bifurcation paths in the flutter domain, including their remote parts. A variety of attractors, both periodic and chaotic, are observed. Moreover, non-symmetric stable periodic vibrations have been explored in regions far away from areas of divergence (buckling) instability. The transition from one attractor to the next one is discussed when the control parameters vary continuously. Hysteretic phenomena are studied by comparing the system's behavior in direct and return paths on the control parameter plane. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.