Nonlinear vibrations of cylindrical shells with initial imperfections in a supersonic flow

The paper studies the dynamics of nonlinear elastic cylindrical shells using the theory of shallow shells. The aerodynamic pressure on the shell in a supersonic flow is found using piston theory. The effect of the flow and initial deflections on the vibrations of the shell is analyzed in the flutter range. The normal modes of both perfect shells in a flow and shells with initial imperfections are studied. In the latter case, the trajectories of normal modes in the configuration space are nearly rectilinear, only one mode determined by the initial imperfections being stable.