Dynamic Analysis of a Multi-span Pipe Conveying Fluid Using Wavelet Based Finite Element Method

A wavelet based finite element method (WBFEM) using B-spline wavelet on the interval is developed in this paper for modeling multi-span pipes conveying fluid with different support conditions. The pipe element is considered as a beam element which is formulated based on Euler-Bernoulli and Timoshenko beam theories. The generalized eigenvalue problem is formulated and solved to obtain the modal characteristics of the multi-span pipe. In comparison to the conventional finite element method, the developed WBFEM discretization scheme uses appreciably less elements for modeling the multi-span pipe. Numerical solutions are obtained and compared with some available results in the literature and those obtained by ANSYS to verify the accuracy and efficiency of the developed method.