Bifurcation and Chaos of Slightly Curved Pipes

Non-linear vibrations of slightly curved pipes conveying fluid with constant velocity are investigated. The curvature is taken as an arbitrary function of the spatial variable. The initial displacement is considered due to the geometry of the pipe itself. The ends of the curved pipe are assumed to be immovable simple supports. The equations of motion of pipes are derived using Hamilton's principle and solved by Galerkin method. The bifurcation diagrams are presented for various amplitudes of the curvature function and fluid velocity. The periodic and chaotic motions have been observed in the transverse vibrations of slightly curved pipe conveying fluid.