Flow-Induced Vibration of Circular Cylindrical Structures

Abstract

Flow-induced vibration is a term to denote those phenomena associated with the response of structures placed in or conveying fluid flow. More specifically, the terra covers those cases in which an interaction develops between fluid-dynamic forces and the inertia, damping or elastic forces in the structures. The study of these phenomena draws on three disciplines: (1) structural mechanics, (2) mechanical vibration, and (3) fluid dynamics. The vibration of circular cylinders subject to flow has been known to man since ancient times; the vibration of a wire at its natural frequency in response to vortex shedding was known in ancient Greece as aeolian tones. But systematic studies of the problem were not made until a century ago when Strouhal established the relationship between vortex shedding frequency and flow velocity for a given cylinder diameter. The early research in this area has beer summarized by Zdravkovich (1985) and Goldstein (1965). Flow-induced structural vibration has been experienced in numerous fields, including the aerospace industry, power generation/transmission (turbine blades, heat exchanger tubes, nuclear reactor components), civil engineering (bridges, building, smoke stacks), and undersea technology. The problems have usually been encountered or created accidentally through improper design. In most cases, a structural or mechanical component, designed to meet specific objectives, develops problems when the undesired effects of flow field have not been accounted for in the design. When a flow-induced vibration problem is noted in the design stage, the engineer has different options to eliminate the detrimental vibration. Unfortunately, in many situations, the problems occur after the components are already in operation; the "fix" usually is very costly. Flow-induced vibration comprises complex and diverse phenomena; subcritical vibration of nuclear fuel assemblies, galloping of transmission lines, flutter of pipes conveying fluid, and whirling of heat exchanger tube banks are typical examples. Recently, flow-induced vibration has been studied extensively for several reasons. First, with the use of high-strength materials, structures become more slender and more susceptible to vibration. Second, the development of advanced nuclear power reactors requires high-velocity fluid flowing through components, which can cause detrimental vibrations. Third, the dynamic interaction of structure and fluid is one of the most fascinating problems in engineering mechanics. The increasing study is evidenced by many conferences directed to this subject and numerous publications, including reviews and books. In a broad sense, flow-induced vibration encompasses all topics on the dynamic responses of structures submerged in fluid, containing fluid, or subjected to external flow. In this report, discussions focus on circular cylindrical structures with emphasis on nuclear reactor system components.