Deflected, static shape of a water‐conveying, elbow‐ended, flexible pipe

Abstract When a ‐elbowed pipe conveys a flow, the fluid deviation generates a transversal force on the tube. So, if the pipe is flexible, it may be deformed. In this experimental and theoretical work, we study the static deflection of a flexible pipe whose upper extreme is clamped while the other, lower, elbowed end is free. When water discharges, a follower force acts onto the free extreme which is proportional to the square of the fluid's velocity. We establish an analytical expression for the free extreme's deflection when the system's weight is neglected and solve the differential equation when its weight is taken into account. An experimental device is mounted which allows to easily record various deflection measurements as the fluid's velocity varies. Our experimental points are in agreement with the theory. They roughly align around the same line when dimensionless numbers are considered since theoretical deviation from a weight‐negligible system is lower than in our experiments.