The nonlinear dynamics of a simply supported pipe conveying pulsating fluid is
investigated by introducing distributed motion constraints along the pipe axis. The
constraints are modeled by trilinear springs. The flowing fluid in the pipe is pulsatile,
which is assumed to have a time-dependent harmonic component superposed on the
steady fluid flow. Attention is concentrated on the potential performance of the
pipe/impacting system with various pulsating frequencies. To investigate the
short-wave buckling, the behaviors of the simply supported pipe with steady
internal flow velocities are presented first. The partial differential equations
(PDEs) are formulated and then transformed into a set of ordinary differential
equations (ODEs) using the Galerkin’s method. The nonlinear dynamical
responses are presented in the form of bifurcation diagrams, time histories,
phase portraits, Poincaré maps and power spectrums. Some interesting and
sometimes unexpected results have been observed under various system
parameters.