The fluid-elastic instability of tube arrays in heat exchangers may become chaotic, especially when clearances exist between tubes and supports. When chaotic motion appears in tube arrays, significant sliding between the tubes and supports may be induced. An analytical model, consisting of a row of rigid tubes with three tubes supported by springs, is presented. Bifurcation diagrams, Poincare´ maps, power spectral densities, and tube orbits are used to investigate the conditions under which the unpredictable motion can arise. The emphasis is on fluid-stiffness-controlled instability.

Issue Section:
Technical Papers
Topics:
Fluids, Stiffness, Vibration, Bifurcation, Heat exchangers, Springs
1.
Antunes
J.
,
de Langre
E.
,
Vento
M. A.
, and
Axisa
F.
1992
, “
A Theoretical Model for the Vibro-Impact Motions of Tube Bundles Under Fluidelastic Instability
,”
ASME, PVP
-Vol.
242
, pp.
135
–
150
.
2.
Axisa
F.
,
Antunes
J.
, and
Villard
B.
,
1988
, “
Overview of Numerical Methods for Predicting Flow-Induced Vibration
,”
ASME J. Pressure Vessel Technol.
, Vol.
110
, pp.
6
–
14
.
3.
Cai
Y.
, and
Chen
S. S.
,
1993
a, “
Nonlinear Dynamics of Loosely Supported Tubes in Crossflow
,”
J. Sound Vib.
, Vol.
168
, pp.
449
–
468
.
4.
Cai
Y.
, and
Chen
S. S.
,
1993
b, “
Chaotic Vibrations of Nonlinearly Supported Tubes in Crossflow
,”
ASME J. Pressure Vessel Technol.
, Vol.
115
, pp.
129
–
134
.
5.
Chen
S. S.
,
1983
, “
Instability Mechanisms and Stability Criteria of a Group of Circular Cylinders Subjected to Cross-Flow. Part 1: Theory; Part 2: Numerical Results and Discussions
,”
ASME J. Vibration, Acoustics, Stress, and Reliability in Design
, Vol.
105
, pp.
51
–
58
.
6.
Chen
S. S.
,
1987
, “
A General Theory for Dynamic Instability of Tube Arrays in Crossflow
,”
J. Fluids and Structures
, Vol.
1
, pp.
35
–
53
.
7.
Chen
S. S.
,
1989
, “
Some Issues Concerning Fluid-Elastic Instability of a Group of Circular Cylinders in Cross-Flow
,”
ASME J. Pressure Vessel Technol.
, Vol.
111
, pp.
507
–
518
.
8.
Chen
S. S.
, and
Chandra
S.
,
1991
, “
Fluidelastic Instabilities in Tube Bundles Exposed to Nonuniform Cross-Flow
,”
J. Fluids and Structures
, Vol.
5
, pp.
299
–
322
.
9.
Chen
S. S.
,
Zhu
S.
, and
Cai
Y.
,
1995
, “
Experiment of Chaotic Vibration of Loosely Supported Tube Arrays in Crossflow
,”
ASME J. Pressure Vessel Technol
, Vol.
117
, pp.
204
–
212
.
10.
Chen
S. S.
,
Zhu
S.
, and
Jendrzejczyk
J. A.
,
1994
, “
Fluid Damping and Fluid Stiffness of a Tube Row in Crossflow
,”
ASME J. Pressure Vessel Technol.
, Vol.
116
, pp.
370
–
383
.
11.
Fricker
A. J.
,
1992
, “
Numerical Analysis of the Fluidelastic Vibration of a Steam Generator Tube with Loose Supports
,”
J. Fluids and Structures
, Vol.
6
, pp.
85
–
107
.
12.
Ko
P. L.
, and
Basista
H.
,
1984
, “
Correlation of Support Impact Force and Fretting-Wear for a Heat Exchanger Tube
,”
ASME J. Pressure Vessel Technol.
, Vol.
106
, pp.
69
–
77
.
13.
de Langre
E.
,
Hadj-Sadok
C.
, and
Beaufils
B.
,
1992
, “
Non-Linear Vibrations Induced by Fluidelastic Forces in Tube Bundles
,”
ASME, PVP
-Vol.
242
, pp.
107
–
134
.
14.
Munteau, G. C., and Moon, F. C., 1992, “Multifractals in Flow-Induced Vibrations,” Proc. 10th Symp. on Energy Engineering Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, pp. 226–232.
15.
Paidoussis
M. P.
, and
Li
G. X.
,
1992
, “
Cross-Flow-Induced Chaotic Vibrations of Heat-Exchanger Tubes Impacting on Loose Supports
,”
J. Sound and Vibration
, Vol.
152
, No.
2
, pp.
305
–
326
.
16.
Tanaka
M.
,
1980
, “
Study on Fluidelastic Vibrations of Tube Bundle
,”
Japan Society Mechanical Engineering, Trans.
, Section B, Vol.
46
, No.
408
, pp.
1398
–
1407
.
17.
Vento
M. A.
,
Antunes
J.
, and
Axisa
F.
,
1992
, “
Tube/support Interaction under Simulated Fluidelastic Instability: Two-Dimensional Experiments and Computations of the Nonlinear Response of a Straight Tube
,”
ASME, PVP
-Vol.
242
, pp.
151
–
166
.
This content is only available via PDF.
Copyright © 1996
 by The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
You do not currently have access to this content.