A semi-analytical time-domain model with explicit fluid force expressions for fluidelastic vibration of a tube array in crossflow

Abstract

It is widely acknowledged that fluidelastic instability (FEI), among other mechanisms, is of the greatest concern in the flow-induced vibration (FIV) of tube bundles in steam generators and heat exchangers. A range of theoretical models have been developed for FEI analysis, and, in addition to the earliest semi-empirical Connors' model, the unsteady model, the quasi-steady model and the semi-analytical model are believed to be three advanced models predominant in the literature. The unsteady and the quasi-static models share the merits of having explicit fluid force expressions and ease of being implemented but require more experimental inputs, whereas the semi-analytical model requires fewer parameters due to its analytical nature but is hard, if not prohibitive, to derive explicit fluid force expressions. Since the fluid force formulations set in the core of development of FEI models, the understanding and in particular the implementation of the semi-analytical model has been impaired by the nonexistence of explicit fluid force expression. This issue becomes more profound in time-domain analysis whereby the simple harmonic assumption is discarded. Here we report a new semi-analytical time-domain (SATD) FEI model with explicit fluid force expressions. The new model allows a consistent frequency-domain stability analysis and more importantly a truly time-domain response analysis. The theory was validated by calculating linear stability thresholds of two typical tube array patterns and comparing against reported experimental data. We then present a nonlinear time-domain analysis of a single loosely-supported tube with piece-wise linear stiffness. The nonlinear and nonsmooth dynamics was probed in details by utilizing various techniques, playing an emphasis on characterizing and distinguishing the chaotic vibration. We found that the system follows a quasi-periodic route to chaos. Such an in-depth study of the nonlinear dynamics of tubes in crossflow has never been reported in the context of SATD model. Our results enrich the theory and provide a different approach for linear and nonlinear dynamics of tube bundles, which are essential for the subsequent fretting wear analysis.