Evaluation of Stress in Vibrating Cylindrical Shells due to Acoustic Loading Based on Theory of Shells
Acoustically induced vibration (AIV) is recognized as a vibration of piping systems caused by the acoustic loading at the downstream of the pressure reducing devices. For decades several industrial practices which are derived from past experiences, have been applied for the design of piping system, however it is known that the practices includes uneven design margins. Due to the increase of the large capacity reducing devices, the demands of the development of reasonable screening and design method for AIV are increasing. A detailed assessment of fatigue life using finite element analysis has become popular and clarified the effect of acoustic load on several specific components; however, there are no clear way to explain the susceptibility against AIV depending on its diameter and thickness. Therefore the discussions based on engineering principles are required. In this paper, the vibration of cylindrical shells due to acoustic loading was discussed based on the theory of cylindrical shells. Results of several numerical studies based on the theoretical formulas were presented on the natural frequency and modal stress of vibrating shells on various geometries. Thus, the key factors to affect the vibrating shell stresses were clarified and some simplified formula to evaluate the vibrating shell stress was proposed.