Dynamics of a Supported Cylinder in Axial Flow

Abstract

The nonlinear dynamics are studied for a supported cylinder subjected to axial flow. A nonlinear model is presented for dynamics of the cylinder supported at both ends. The nonlinear terms considered here are the quadratic viscous force and the structural nonlinear force induced by the lateral motions of the cylinder. Using two-mode discretized equation, numerical simulations are carried out for the dynamical behavior of the cylinder to explain the flutter instability found in the experiment. The results of numerical analysis show that at certain value of flow velocity the system loses stability by divergence, and the new equilibrium (the buckled configuration) becomes unstable at higher flow leading to post-divergence flutter. The effect of the friction drag coefficients on the behavior of the system is investigated.