Experiment of Chaotic Vibration of Loosely Supported Tube Rows in Cross-Flow

Abstract

A tube array supported by baffle plates in cross-flow may be subjected to fluidelastic instability in the tube-support-plate-inactive mode. An experimental study is presented to characterize the tube motion. Three series of tests were performed to measure tube displacements as a function of flow velocity for differing clearances. The motion was examined by root-mean-square values of tube displacements, power spectral densities, phase planes, Poincaré maps, and Lyapunov exponents. The experimental data agree reasonably well with an analytical model based on the unsteady flow theory.