Boundary-layer effect in panel flutter

The present note shows that if the supersonic Mach number is not too large, an analytical expression can be obtained for the generalized aerodynamic force relating the pressure fluctuation at the surface of a flexible plate to the plate displacement in the presence of an adjacent boundary layer. The low supersonic Mach numbers are the ones of maximum interest since it is in this Mach number region that the boundary layer has the most influence. In this respect, Dowell (1971) has already shown that the presence of a boundary layer causes about a 300% increase in flutter dynamic pressure at a Mach number of about 1.2, while it causes only about a 20% increase at a Mach number of 2.