A Simplified Approach to Estimate Flow-Induced Vibrations on an Elbowed Piping System

A mixed experimental and numerical approach was undertaken in order to develop a data-based model of the flow-induced vibration levels attained in a piping system containing a 90° elbow. A closed water loop was used to provide unsteady flow data as well as wall pressure and vibration measurements. In parallel, the unsteady water flow through the elbow was computed using an incompressible Large-Eddy Simulation (LES). Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) and Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) were used in order to build a relationship between the flow properties and the resulting excitation. This relationship was then used to estimate the evolution of the spatially distributed loadings, which were finally applied to a finite element model of the piping structure. The results consisted of an estimation of the vibration levels. The estimated vibrations were then compared to measurements in order to validate the proposed modeling strategy.