A further study on the non-linear dynamics of simply supported pipes conveying pulsating fluid

In this paper, the non-linear dynamics of simply supported pipes conveying pulsating fluid is further investigated, by considering the effect of motion constraints modeled as cubic springs. The partial differential equation, after transformed into a set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) using the Galerkin method with N=2, is solved by a fourth order Runge–Kutta scheme. Attention is concentrated on the possible motions of the system with a higher mean flow velocity. Phase portraits, bifurcation diagrams and power spectrum diagrams are presented, showing some interesting and sometimes unexpected results. The analytical model is found to exhibit rich and variegated dynamical behaviors that include quasi-periodic and chaotic motions. The route to chaos is shown to be via period-doubling bifurcations. Finally, the cumulative effect of two non-linearities on the dynamics of the system is discussed.