Bifurcation and chaos of a flag in an inviscid flow

A two-dimensional model is developed to study the flutter instability of a flag immersed in an inviscid flow. Two dimensionless parameters governing the system are the structure-to-fluid mass ratio M* and the dimensionless incoming flow velocity U*. A transition from a static steady state to a chaotic state is investigated at a fixed M*=1 with increasing U*. Five single-frequency periodic flapping states are identified along the route, including four symmetrical oscillation states and one asymmetrical oscillation state. For the symmetrical states, the oscillation frequency increases with the increase of U*, and the drag force on the flag changes linearly with the Strouhal number. Chaotic states are observed when U* is relatively large. Three chaotic windows are observed along the route. In addition, the system transitions from one periodic state to another through either period-doubling bifurcations or quasi-periodic bifurcations, and it transitions from a periodic state to a chaotic state through quasi-periodic bifurcations. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.