Non-planar vibration characteristics and buckling behaviors of two fluid-conveying pipes coupled with an intermediate spring

Abstract This study investigates the dynamical behavior of two parallel fluid-conveying pipes by developing a non-planar dynamical model of the two pipes coupled with an intermediate spring. A systematic analysis is conducted to evaluate the effects of spring parameters on the non-planar vibration characteristics and buckling behaviors of the coupled system. The nonlinear governing equations are derived with Hamilton’s principle, subsequently discretized through Galerkin’s method, and finally numerically solved by the Runge-Kutta algorithm. Based on the linearized equations, an eigenvalue analysis is performed to obtain the coupled frequencies, modal shapes, and critical flow velocities for buckling instability. Quantitative assessments further elucidate the effects of the spring position and stiffness coefficient on the coupled frequencies and critical flow velocities. Nonlinear dynamic analyses reveal the evolution of buckling patterns and bifurcation behaviors between the lateral displacements of the two pipes and the flow velocity. Numerical results indicate that the intermediate spring increases the susceptibility to buckling instability in the out-of-plane direction compared with the in-plane direction. Furthermore, synchronized lateral displacements emerge in both pipes when the flow velocity of one pipe exceeds the critical threshold. This work is expected to provide a theoretical foundation for the stability assessment and vibration analysis in coupled fluid-conveying pipe systems.