  This paper studies the aeroelasticity of a stiffened cantilever plate using
composite material and novel structural layouts. A comprehensive parametric
study is conducted to determine the influence of different design parameters on
the aeroelastic boundaries. Design parameters include plate sweep angle, ply
orientation, stringer cross-section, and stringer sweep angle. Nastran is used
to run the aeroelastic analysis and the process is automated using Matlab. The
structure of the plate is modelled using laminate elements whereas the
stringers are modelled using the Euler-Bernoulli beam elements. The unsteady
aerodynamic loads are modelled using Doublet Lattice Method (DLM) and the
structural and aerodynamic meshes are connected using an Infinite plate surface
(IPS) spline. A mesh sensitivity analysis is conducted to ensure fine meshes
for the aerodynamics and structure. The study's findings demonstrate the
benefits of employing forward swept (Fw) stringers since it increases flutter
speed by almost 38% compared to the unswept stringers case and prevents
divergence. Moreover, the static aeroelastic analysis illustrates that the
utilization of Fw swept stringers can reduce the average tip displacement and
tip twist effectively. T-shaped stringers are recommended to stiffen the plate
due to their lower impact on the total mass of the plate. In some
configurations, the structural layout has a much higher effect on the
aeroelastic instabilities when compared to the material effect (ply
orientation). However, results suggest combining both for some cases to get
balanced washin and washout effects.
