Snap-through response of thermally buckled C/SiC plates considering boundary elasticity and initial imperfections under progressive wave loading

In this paper, the snap-through response of a rectangular clamped carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide composites (C/SiC) plate is studied under a high-temperature field and progressive wave acoustic load with considering the boundary elasticity and initial imperfections. The dynamic model of the plate is established, and the boundary stiffnesses and imperfection coefficients are updated with experimental results. Results show a significant correlation between the snap-through occurrence and the response spectra evolution. The progressive wave acoustic load promotes the antisymmetric modes and leads to the inhibition of snap-through compared to the uniform sound pressure load. It is found that the thickness and initial imperfection have significant influences on the snap-through boundary. It is indicated that those parameters shall be considered during the prediction of the snap-through. This study provides a well reference for the design of the structure for the hypersonic aircraft.