Experimental analysis of thermally induced motion of U-tubes

Abstract

The present article focuses attention on the effect of thermal load on dynamic response of the thin U-tubes. Experimental studies are carried out on thermally induced vibration of internally heated cantilevered U-tube. The dynamic response of the tube is studied in lateral and transverse direction for varying heating rates and frequencies. The analysis showed that the rate of vibration is governed by the heating rate and natural frequency of the tube. Lower the heating rates larger are the time to attain steady state amplitude and vice versa, there exist a threshold heating rate to produce thermal induced motion for tube. Displacement response of the U-tube in the lateral direction, during the initial period of the tube motion, occurred in the first mode and with progress of time the displacement response changed to second mode with amplitude of vibrations being lower than that observed in first mode. © Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2008.