Measurement and Simulation of Water Hammer in Piping Systems Including Junction Coupling

For the analysis of the effects of fluid-structure interaction (FSI) during water hammer in piping systems, a complex test facility was constructed. Resonance experiments with movable bends in two system configurations were carried out. The pressure and the displacement of the bend were recorded. The aim was to reproduce the results with two coupled codes: a one-dimensional solver based on the method of characteristics (MOC) for the hydraulic system and a three-dimensional solver based on the finite element method (FEM) working with one-dimensional beam elements for the structural system. The calculation included junction and friction coupling. The models were fine-tuned separately. For this purpose, special measurements were carried out. These included the determination of the structural damping, the friction factor, the influence of the bending of the anchorage, etc. After the validation of the models, the results of the coupled calculations were compared against the measurements, the performance of the coupled codes was evaluated and the most important physical effects were analyzed and are discussed.