  In this paper, the flutter characteristics of sandwich panels with carbon
nanotube (CNT) reinforced face sheets are investigated using QUAD-8 shear
flexible element developed based on higher-order structural theory. The
formulation accounts for the realistic variation of the displacements through
the thickness, the possible discontinuity in the slope at the interface, and
the thickness stretch affecting the transverse deflection. The in-plane and
rotary inertia terms are also included in the formulation. The first-order high
Mach number approximation to linear potential flow theory is employed for
evaluating the aerodynamic pressure. The solutions of the complex eigenvalue
problem, developed based on Lagrange's equation of motion are obtained using
the standard method for finding the eigenvalues. The accuracy of the present
formulation is demonstrated considering the problems for which solutions are
available. A detailed numerical study is carried out to bring out the efficacy
of the higher-order model over the first-order theory and also to examine the
influence of the volume fraction of the CNT, core-to-face sheet thickness, the
plate thickness and the aspect ratio, damping and the temperature on the
flutter boundaries and the associated vibration modes.
