Journal of Sound and Vibration (1990) 141(2), 355-358

A MODIFIED WITTRICK-WILLIAMS ALGORITHM FOR EIGENVALUE ANALYSIS OF

FLUID VIBRATION IN PIPING SYSTEMS

1. INTRODUCTION

Uniaxial vibration of compressible fluids in piping systems can be analyzed by use of

the so-called structural mechanics approach [l]. This is an exact mobility matrix
formulation where a modified Wittrick-Williams algorithm [2] should preferably be used
for computing undamped natural frequencies of the vibrating fluid. Whereas the details
of the modified algorithm were not described in reference [ 11, the present paper gives an
explicit and complete formulation. It also shows how a piping system containing one or
several closed compartments between bulkheads can be handled in the algorithm.

2. THE WITI-RICK-WILLIAMS ALGORITHM

The Wittrick-Williams algorithm is a general and powerful method for calculating

natural frequencies [2] (or buckling loads [3]) of continuous linear structures modeiled
as an assembly of joints and members. For a structure the harmonic vibration of which
is described through a matrix-formulated stiffness relation K(w)d = P, the algorithm yields
the number J(w*) of undamped eigenfrequencies w,, n = 1,2, . . . , below a trial frequency
o* (the superscript * must not be confused with the notation for complex quantities used
in reference [l] and related papers) as

J(w*) = s{K(w*)}+.&,(w*). (1)

Here s{K(w*)} is the sign-count of the stiffness matrix K(w*): i.e., the number of negative
diagonal elements of K( w*) when transformed to upper-triangular form through elemen-
tary row operations. Further, &(w*) is the number of eigenfrequencies below the trial
frequency w* for the structure when the displacement vector is (thought of as being)
d =O. This constraint condition means that J,,(w*) is easily calculable as a sum of
eigenfrequency contributions from individual members of the structure vibrating with
clamped ends. For a discrete structure (without substructures), JO(w*) = 0.

3. MODIFIED ALGORITHM

In the structural mechanics approach [l] to fluid vibration analysis, the system is
described by the mobility relation Y(o)p = v, which is analogous to the stiffness relation
K( w )d = P for solid structures. By utilizing this analogy, it can be shown that the modified
Wittrick-Williams algorithm for fluids in piping systems should read

J(w*)=s{iY(w*)}+Jo(o*)- N,. (2)

Here J(w*) is the total number of eigenfrequencies below the trial frequency w*, and
s{iY(o*)} the sign-count of the mobility matrix Y(o*). Further, N, is the number of
closed compartments in the piping system. The correction term -N, in equation (2) is
explained in section 4. An example in section 5 verifies the algorithm.
In undamped vibration, all elements in the mobility matrix Y(o*) are pure imaginary
which motivates the multiplication with the imaginary unit (i) in equation (2). If, instead,
Y(w*) were divided by i, the number of positive diagonal elements should be counted.
355
0022-460X/90/170355+04/%03.00 0 @ 1990 Academic Press Limited
 356 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Also, by the same analogy, J,Jw*) in equation (2) is the number of eigenfrequencies
below w* for the system when the pressure vector is (thought of as being) p=O. This
means that JO(w*) should be calculated as a sum of non-zero eigenfrequency contributions
from individual fluid members vibrating with open ends (p = 0).
The vector pe contains amplitudes of harmonically varying pressures superposed on a
basic static level. A pressure equal to zero thus means that the pressure equals the
surrounding atmospheric pressure. The vibration of a fluid column member with open
ends is best interpreted as a mathematical concept, leading to the correct overall behaviour
of the fluid system. A way to realize the situation physically would be to insert mass-less
and friction-free pistons at the ends, thus preventing the fluid (in a fictitious gravitation-free
experiment) from leaking out.

4. PIPING SYSTEMS WITH CLOSED COMPARTMENTS

For a beam structure, the classical Wittrick-Williams algorithm also identifies possible
rigid-body eigenfrequencies (w, = 0). When the algorithm is used in an automated bisec-
tion procedure in a computer program, the number of such zero eigenfrequencies must
be declared by the user in order to halt the iteration at the lowest non-zero eigenfrequency.
In fluid vibration, the number of closed compartments in the piping system corresponds
to the number of rigid-body modes in the solid system. The closed compartments may
be separated by completely rigid or by elastically supported cross-sectional walls (msd-
members). Consequently the algorithm yields the correct number J2(u*) of non-zero
eigenfrequencies plus the number NC of closed compartments. The number N, shall thus
be subtracted in order to give the correct number J*(w*). The system in Figure 2(a),
which has three compartments, accordingly has N, = 3 such spurious eigenfrequencies.
The discussion below will prove the validity of equation (2).
To fix ideas, consider a solid structure consisting of N axially non-supported bars (in
Figure l(a), N = 3). For each one of the bars (with j = 1,. . . , J joints), a non-zero and
spatially constant displacement d # 0 (d, = d, = . * . = dJ) is possible despite the absence
of external loads, P = 0. The displacement d, of the nth bar thus can assume an arbitrary
value, independent of the displacements of the other bars. As a result, the global structure
(non-connected) in Figure l(a) has N = 3 zero eigenfrequencies.
The joint pressure vector p in fluid vibration is the counterpart to the joint displacement
vector d in solid-body vibration. A conclusion following from the argumentation for solid
bodies is that the fluid system has N zero eigenfrequencies (in Figure l(b), N = 3) if
the pressure in each compartment can be chosen arbitrarily despite the absence of applied
external volume velocities, v = 0. The condition v = 0 holds even if the applied external

4 p2
.\ .$ . \ . .$ .,. . .*
I

(b)
Figure 1. (a) Solid structure consisting of N = 3 axially non-supported and non-connected bars. Dots indicate
that each bar may contain several joints and members. (b) Fluid system consisting of N = 3 pipe compartments
separated by two bulkheads. Each compartment may contain several fluid column members.
 LE-ITERS TO THE EDITOR 357
displacements s are non-zero. With that assumption it is now obvious that an arbitrary
static non-zero pressure in a compartment can be generated by an appropriate combination
of fluid displacements into the joint inlet pipes, causing a net compression or expansion
of the fluid inside the volume. In that way, all compartments can be given static pressures
independent of each other. If two adjacent compartments are separated by an intermediate
msd-member (Figure l(b)), the pressure difference on the two piston faces is balanced
by a reactive force in the spring, being proportional to the displacement of the piston.
The displacement of the piston does not affect the fact that the pressures on each of its
two sides can be chosen arbitrarily.

5. NUMERICAL EXAMPLE

The correctness of the modified algorithm in equation (2) will be verified for the fluid
system in Figure 2(a). This non-branched system can alternatively be analyzed as a
structure of solid bars in tensile vibration; see Figure 2(b). The corresponding member
properties for this bar are the Youngs modulus E = K = pc2 and the distributed mass
m = pA. The two discrete springs have the same stiffness S,, = 1000 N/m in both cases.
The calculated lowest four eigenfrequencies for the bar structure in Figure 2(b) are
f, = 1.8083 Hz, fi = 2.2140 Hz, f3 = 3.6862 Hz and _&= 4.3924 Hz. Identical eigenfrequen-
ties were obtained for the fluid system in Figure 2(a) when the modified algorithm was
applied. For the fluid system, the variations of s{iY(w*)} and J,,(w*) in equation (2)
versus the frequency w* have been calculated separately and are shown in Figure 3. The
same figure also shows J(w*) for the bar structure in Figure 2(b). The numbers &(w*)
for the bar structure and the fluid system are equal. The gap between the two solid lines
in Figure 3 does not vary with the frequency w *. This constant difference is the number
NC = 3 of closed compartments in the fluid system.

(a)

iiB
(b)
Figure 2. (a) Fluid system consisting of six structural joints I j = 1,2,. ,6). three finite fluid column members
with c = 20 m/s, p = 1 kg/m3, A = 1 m*, 15, = 5 m, L, = 4 m, L, = 1 m, and two intermediate msd-members with
S, = 1000 N/m, Ma = 0 = C,. (b) Solid system consisting of three bars of same density, cross-sectional area and
member lengths as in (a). Youngs modulus is E = 20 N/m. Springs have same stiffnesses S,, as in (a).

6. CONCLUDING REMARKS

The Wittrick-Williams algorithm for calculating undamped natural frequencies of

elastic and continuous solid structures has been modified and applied to the closely
related field of uniaxial fluid vibration in piping systems. The counterparts to the sign-count
and the Jo-count have been derived solely from the analogies between the two formulations.
Special attention has been paid to the treatment of piping systems with an arbitrary
number of closed compartments, separated by either completely rigid or elastically
3% LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

7-

6-
Jo/o(w*)+s{iY(w*)}
5-

4-

3
t *)+s{Kb*)}

f*=w*/Zrr(Hz)

Figure 3. Number I(w*) of eigenfrequencies below trial frequency w* calculated by use of the Wittrick-
Williams algorithm for systems in Figures 2(a, b). Contributions from J,,(w*), s{K(w*)} and s{iY(w*)} have
been separated.

supported bulkheads. It has been shown that each such closed compartment corresponds
to a rigid-body degree of freedom in solid body vibration. In a numerical implementation
of the algorithm, the number of closed compartments (spurious zero eigenfrequencies)
has to be specified in the description of the system in the input data.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supervised by Professor Bengt A. Akesson, Division of Solid Mechanics,
Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. Financial support was given by the Saab
Aircraft Division and the Swedish National Board for Technical Development.

Division of Solid Mechanics, Chalmers University of Technology, A. FRID

S-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden

(Received 3 January 1990)

REFERENCES

A. FRID 1989 Journal of Sound and Vibration 133, 423-438, 439-448. Fluid vibration in piping
systems-a structural mechanics approach, I: Theory, and II: Applications.
W. H. WITTRICK and F. W. WILLIAMS 1971 Quarterly Journal of Mechanics and Applied
Mathematics 24, 263-284. A general algorithm for computing natural frequencies of elastic
structures.
W. H. WITTRICK and F. W. WILLIAMS 1973 Journal of Structural Mechanics 1, 497-518. An
algorithm for computing critical buckling loads of elastic structures.