Coupled Vibrations of a Structure and Fluid Excited by Pressure Shocks

The dynamic behavior of an axisymmetric boiling water reactor suppression pool structure and the embedded water under the excitation of the pressure waves from collapsing steam bubbles was studied with a finite element model. The structure was analyzed with thin shell elements. The fluid volume is divided into isoparametric quadrilateral toroidal elements with pressure as the nodal parameter. A water source element was utilized to model the pressure shock excitation. Nonaxisymmetric pressure loads and vibration modes were expressed as a Fourier series in the circumferential coordinate. The system of equations for the structure and fluid was integrated in time using the central difference scheme.