International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping 77 (2000) 445453

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Determining dynamic characteristics of bellows by manipulated beam nite elements of commercial software
G.I. Broman*, A.P. Jonsson, M.P. Hermann
University of Karlskrona/Ronneby, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SE-371 79 Karlskrona, Sweden Received 15 April 2000; revised 20 June 2000; accepted 3 July 2000

Abstract A procedure for determining dynamic characteristics of bellows by manipulating certain parameters of the beam nite elements of I-DEAS Master Series 6 is presented. The method will work in any software in which these parameters can be set by the user. Compared to a shell elements model the model size is reduced by at least a factor of 100. This is especially advantageous when the bellows is only a part of a system to be optimised with respect to overall design parameters. Stress in the bellows cannot be predicted by this method, but when the dynamic behaviour is known it can be used as input for stress calculations, if desired. In contrast to existing semi-analytical methods this method has the potential of considering axial, bending and torsion degrees of freedom simultaneously, and it facilitates the interaction between the bellows and the rest of the system, also modelled by beam or shell nite elements. The procedure is veried by experimental results from other investigators. q 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Bellows; Dynamic; Beam model; Finite element method

1. Introduction With the introduction of transverse engines and catalytic converters exible metal bellows have become an important component in automotive exhaust systems. A exible connection between the manifold and the rest of the exhaust system is necessary because of the rolling of the engine. Considerable axial and bending deections must be allowed for. Some torsion also takes place because of the curved path of the exhaust system. Using a rigid joint would give severe vibration of the exhaust system, with noise and quick failure due to exceeded material strength as consequences. Furthermore, the connection must be gas-tight to assure successful combustion control, necessary for the catalytic converter to operate at optimal conditions. Any failure of the exhaust system upstream of the converter would affect emissions. Continuously tougher requirements on cutting emissions have also raised combustion temperatures, implying increased thermal expansion of the exhaust system

* Corresponding author. Tel.: 146-455-38-55-04; fax: 146-455-38-5507. E-mail address: goran.broman@ima.hk-r.se (G.I. Broman).

components that must be allowed for to relieve otherwise fatal stress. Metal bellows have been proven to full these requirements. So, although invented about hundred years ago they play today an important role in modern automotive engineering and emissions control [1]. Proper dimensioning requires deep understanding of the characteristics of the bellows and their interaction with the rest of the exhaust system. Off-the-shelf products seldom t a specic application, which was experienced when bellows were rst introduced into exhaust systems. Failures took place after rather short operation times and substitution of stronger and much more expensive materials did not solve the problem [2]. With this background a collaboration started between the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Karlskrona/Ronneby, Karlskrona, Sweden and AP Automo tive Systems, Inc., Torsas, Sweden, fabricating approximately two million welded manifolds and supplying 600,000 bellows per year for the automotive industry. A project was dened with the overall aim of deepened understanding of the dynamics of the exhaust system as a whole, including manifold, exible connection, catalytic converter, pipes, mufers and hangers. It is desired to nd a method of modelling and evaluating customer-proposed exhaust

0308-0161/00/$ - see front matter q 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S 0308-016 1(00)00046-6

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Nomenclature A c E G h I J K k L m n p R (r, u , x) s t u V w (x, y, z) a u n r Indices c d f m p r T x, y, z Area (m 2) Torsion stiffness (N m/rad) Modulus of elasticity (Pa) Shear modulus of elasticity (Pa) Convolution height (m) Area moment of inertia (m 4) Mass moment of inertia per unit length (kg m) Polar area moment of inertia (m 4) Axial stiffness (N/m) Length (m) Mass per unit length (kg/m) Number of convolutions Pressure (Pa) Radius (m) Cylindrical coordinates Material thickness (m) Time (s) Axial displacement (m) Velocity (m/s) Transverse displacement (m) Cartesian coordinates Shear coefcient Torsion displacement (rad) Poisson's ratio Mass density (kg/m 3) Crown Dened Fluid Mean Pipe (equivalent) Root Total Coordinate axes

system designs at an early stage of product development. The models need to be rather simple so that the effect of design alterations on natural frequencies and other characteristics can be presented and discussed with the customer promptly. As a part of the overall project the bellows is studied in this work. Flexible metal bellows have been used for considerable time in other applications. Numerous papers deal with various aspects of bellows, such as stresses due to internal pressure and axial deection, fatigue life estimations, column instability and scrim. A comprehensive bibliography is given by Snedden [3]. A good grasp of bellows research can also be gained from the conference proceedings of the 1989 ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference [4]. The work of Andersson [5,6] must be considered as a milestone. Among other things he derived correction factors relating the behaviour of the bellows convolution to that of a simple strip beam. This approach has subsequently

been the basis of standards and other publications presenting formulae for hand-calculation for bellows design. Such formulae have been included in national pressure vessel codes, among which the ASME code [7] is the most well known. The most comprehensive and widely accepted text on bellows design is however the Standards of the Expansion Joint Manufacturers Association [8]. A comparison of the ASME code and the EJMA standards is given by Hanna [9], concluding that the two conform quite well in most aspects. However, some signicant differences exist. The EJMA standards is found to comply better with experience, and is therefore recommended except when code approval is necessary. Comparisons of the EJMA standards with nite element and experimental analyses can be found in many papers, for example those of Ting-Xin et al. [10] and Osweiller [11]. The EJMA organisation itself has also conducted research to verify the standards. In summary, the EJMA formulae for stresses and stiffness for axial loading are found to be correct to within approximately 20% for most bellows congurations. No comparisons regarding torsion loading have been found. An explanation of some of the EJMA formulae is given by Broyles [12]. Less has been found on the dynamic behaviour of bellows and most of these studies concentrate on axial vibrations, for example those of Gerlach [13] and Jakubauskas and Weaver [14]. Dealing also with transverse vibrations are EJMA [8] and Ting-Xin et al. [15], both using BernoulliEuler beam theory. Morishita et al. [16], Jakubauskas [17] and Jakubauskas and Weaver [18,19] include rotary inertia in the beam model. The conclusion is that rotary inertia is important to consider, especially for bellows with a low length over diameter ratio. The concept of uid added mass to account for inertia effects due to the uid inside the bellows has been established for some time. The latest development is that of Jakubauskas and Weaver [18,19]. As the uid in exhaust systems is of low density, all inuence of uid mass can be neglected in the present study. The drawbacks of all studies of the dynamic behaviour of bellows found in the literature are that they deal with only one type of vibration at a time and treat the bellows as an isolated unit with specied boundary conditions. For these cases various methods for hand-calculations are presented. No descriptions of a bellows model suitable for integrating in a nite element analysis of a whole dynamic system have been found. The aim of this work is to nd a method of modelling exible bellows by beam elements of commercial computation software, in which the whole exhaust system can be analysed. Axial, bending and torsion characteristics of the bellows itself, as well as the interaction with the rest of the system should be possible to consider. Of course the bellows could be modelled directly by shell elements. This would be straightforward, but the nite element representation of the bellows would then constitute

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and wall thickness sp, according to Fig. 3. By dening special values for wall thickness and material properties this pipe can be a good model of the corresponding bellows. 2.1. Mass and rotary inertia For the real bellows the mass per unit length is varying periodically. The mean value can be determined by measuring it or, if the bellows do not yet exist physically, according to m

Fig. 1. Basic exible connection design.

a very large part of the overall model. Due to its special geometry thousands of elements would be required. It would consequently be very time consuming to perform the analysis of the whole system due to a rather small part of it. This would be especially disadvantageous when many simulations are to be performed when studying the inuence of design alterations of the system. Hence an attempt at modelling the bellows by beam elements is presented here. 2. Characteristics of bellows The basic design of a exible connection for exhaust systems is shown in Fig. 1. The gas-tight bellows is critical to the desired function. An inner-liner is sometimes used for heat protection and to reduce the risk of ow-induced vibrations. A braid is sometimes used for protection from outer mechanical inuence. The parts are connected at the ends with end caps. This work deals with the bellows itself. A brief discussion of the other parts is given at the end of the paper. The geometry of a U-shaped convolution is dened in Fig. 2. Rr is the meridional radius of the convolution root, Rc is the meridional radius of the convolution crown and h is the convolution height. Rm is the mean radius of the bellows, that is, the distance from the bellows center-line to mid convolution height and s is the material thickness. It is assumed that s p Rr ; Rc ; h p Rm : With n as the number of convolutions the length of the whole bellows is L 2Rr 1 Rc n 1 With these assumptions it feels natural to think of the bellows as an equivalent thin-walled pipe of radius Rm,

r2pRm pRr 1 Rc 1 2h 2 Rr 2 Rc s 2Rr 1 Rc

where r is the mass density of the bellows material. In this work the mass per unit length will be considered constant and equal to this mean value, which is a good approximation except for very low numbers of convolutions. Furthermore, all mass is assumed located at the mean radius of the bellows, in accordance with the thin-walled pipe analogy. For bending rotations the rotary inertia of the crosssection per unit length is then J Jyy Jzz mR2 m 2 3

and for torsion rotations the rotary inertia of the crosssection per unit length is Jxx mR2 m 4 With the product of wall thickness and mass density equal to m 5 s p rp 2pRm the equivalent pipe will have mass and rotary inertia per unit length equal to that of the corresponding bellows. 2.2. Axial vibrations The axial stiffness can be determined in one of the following ways: (i) By shell nite element calculations. (ii) By measurements on the actual bellows. (iii) By using EJMA formulae. The advantage of method (i) is that arbitrarily good accuracy can be obtained for the theoretical bellows design. The necessary number of elements is low because only one half convolution has to be modelled and axial symmetry can be utilised. The advantage of method (ii) is that inuences of tolerances in fabrication, material, etc. will be automatically included. A disadvantage is that the bellows must exist, which is often not the case at an early stage of product development and when different design congurations are to be tested. Another disadvantage is of course that measurement inaccuracies will also be included. The advantage of method (iii) is that it is quick and

Fig. 2. U-shaped convolution geometry.

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can take place, with ovalling remaining negligible. Thus, although being far from a beam in appearance, a beam representation of the bellows should be relevant. The bending stiffness of this beam can be expressed in terms of the axial stiffness. The cross-sections of the bellows are assumed to remain plane so the bending stiffness can be expressed in terms of the modulus of elasticity from Eq. (9), and the area moment of inertia for the pipe cross-section, which is Ip Iyy Izz pR3 sp m
Fig. 3. Thin-walled pipe analogy of bellows.

11

Thus, Ep Ip Ep pR3 sp m kT LR2 kRr 1 Rc R2 m m 2 2 12

simple. Only hand-calculations are necessary. A disadvantage is that it may be too inaccurate, depending on the specic bellows at hand. Another disadvantage is that tolerances in fabrication, material etc. are not included, which is true also for method (i). The relation between the total axial stiffness, kT, and the axial stiffness of one half convolution, k, is kT k 2n Ep Ap L 6

The axial stiffness of the equivalent pipe is kp 7

The equivalent pipe will automatically have this bending stiffness. The differential equation governing bending vibrations of the bellows can be obtained from the general differential equation for bending vibrations of a pipe conveying uid, given by, for example Paidoussis and Li [21] or Blevins [22] 2 3 4 Ep 24 w 22 w 2w E p I p 4 1 r p A p 1 r f Af 2 2 r p I p 1 1 a Gp 2x2 2t2 2x 2t 1a 0

where Ep is the modulus of elasticity of the pipe material and Ap 2pRm sp 8 is the cross-sectional area of the pipe. Now, putting kp equal to the total axial stiffness of the bellows gives Ep kT L kT L kRr 1 Rc Ap 2pRm sp 2pRm sp 9

r 2 I p 24 w 22 w 22 w p 1 ppR2 1 rf Af V 2 2 1 2 r f Af V m 2t 2x Gp 2t4 2x
(13)

With this modulus of elasticity the equivalent pipe will have an axial stiffness equal to that of the corresponding bellows. As the bellows, modelled as the equivalent pipe, is a kind of a rod the differential equation governing the bellows axial vibrations is the same as that of a uniform rod, given by, for example Weaver et al. [20] Ep 2 2 u 22 u 2 0 rp 2x2 2t2 10

where u is the axial displacement t is time and x is the axial coordinate as before. For specied boundary conditions analytical solutions for natural frequencies and mode shapes exist. Such solutions can be used for verication and convergence test of the nite element model. 2.3. Bending vibrations The special geometry of the bellows makes it very exible in overall bending but very stiff against radial deections. This means that signicant transverse deections and rotations of cross-sections perpendicular to the bellows axis

where w is the transverse displacement, r f is the uid density, Af is the ow area, V is the ow velocity and p is the is the uid pressure. The non-dimensional factor a is the shear coefcient, or form factor for shear, in Timoshenko beam theory and depends on the shape of the cross-section, see, for example Timoshenko and Gere [23] and Cowper [24]. The uid density in exhaust systems is low, so all terms including this are cancelled. The inuence of shear deformation on bending of bellows was argued by Morishita et al. [16] to be very small. This was conrmed by calculations by Jakubauskas [17] who showed that the relative effect of including shear compared to including rotary inertia in the beam model was of the order 10 23 for the bellows he studied. The good agreement between theoretical and experimental results obtained by Jakubauskas and Weaver [19] and in this work also conrms this assumption. The shear coefcient is therefore close to zero. For the bellows used in experiments by Jakubauskas and Weaver [19] the inuence of a uid pressure of 200 kPa on the fundamental frequency was approximately 7%. For the higher natural frequencies this inuence is smaller. The maximum pressure allowed by the EJMA standards for that bellows according to Jakubauskas and Weaver was 2 bar. The mean pressure in exhaust systems is rather low, so also the pressure term is cancelled. What remains of Eq. (13)

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is thus Ep Ip 2w 2w 2 w 1 rp Ap 2 2 rp Ip 2 2 0 4 2x 2t 2x 2t
4 2 4

14

For specied boundary conditions approximate analytical solutions for natural frequencies and mode shapes exist. 2.4. Torsion vibrations The torsion stiffness can be determined by the same methods as for the axial stiffness. The relation between the total torsion stiffness, cT, and the torsion stiffness of one half convolution, c, is c 15 cT 2n The torsion stiffness of the equivalent pipe is cp Gp Kp L 16

to simulate the bellows behaviour by a nite element representation, which is necessary anyway to analyse the whole system. Of course the bellows can be modelled by shell elements. Due to its special geometry thousands of elements would however be required. In this chapter the possibility of modelling the bellows by the standard beam elements of I-DEAS Master Series 6 [25] is discussed. The element formulation is based on texts by Przemieniecki [26] and Hinton and Owen [27]. 3.1. Beam elements The cross-sectional properties of the beam elements in the I-DEAS Simulation module can be dened in the Beam Sections task in two ways: (i) by drawing the cross-section geometry. The software then calculates the cross-sectional properties from the given geometry; (ii) by explicitly key in the cross-sectional properties in the Key-In dialogue frame. Method (ii) together with the characteristics of the beam nite element formulation makes it possible to simulate the bellows as described in the following sections. 3.2. Mass and rotary inertia Mass can be applied to the beam element model in three ways: (i) by dening a mass density of the beam material; (ii) by dening a Non-structural Mass per unit length; (ii) by dening lumped mass. The software combines methods (i) and (ii) so that the mass per unit length will be m rA 1 m d 20 where r is the mass density of the beam material, A is the cross-sectional area and md is the dened Non-structural Mass per unit length. For bending rotations the rotary inertia of the cross-section per unit length will be   m Jyy r 1 d Iyy A   md Jzz r 1 21 I A zz where Iyy and Izz are the area moments of inertia of the crosssection with respect to the y- and z-axes, respectively. For torsion rotations the rotary inertia of the cross-section per unit length will be   m 22 Jxx r 1 d Iyy 1 Izz A Choosing, for example, method (i) (md 0 as default) for

where Gp is the shear modulus of elasticity of the pipe material and Kp Iyy 1 Izz 2Ip 2pR3 sp m 17 is the polar area moment of inertia of the pipe cross-section. Now, putting cp equal to the total torsion stiffness of the bellows gives c L c L cT L cRr 1 Rc Gp T T 3s Kp 2Ip 2pRm p 2pR3 sp m 18

With this shear modulus of elasticity the equivalent pipe will have a torsion stiffness equal to that of the corresponding bellows. As the bellows, modelled as the equivalent pipe, is a kind of a rod the differential equation governing the bellows torsion vibrations is the same as that of a uniform rod given by, for example Weaver et al. [20] Gp 22 u 22 u 2 0 rp 2x2 2t2 19

where u is the torsion angle. For specied boundary conditions analytical solutions for natural frequencies and mode shapes exist. It should be pointed out that bellows are not primarily designed for torsion. The torsion stiffness is high compared to the others. So, the bellows will be highly stressed if torsion deections are not kept small. Although not designed for torsion it is important to consider also this degree of freedom when studying bellows as a part of a system. 3. Beam nite element model of bellows Analytical solutions to Eqs. (10), (14) and (19) are difcult to make use of in a dynamic analysis of a whole system of which the bellows is only one part. It is therefore desired

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the pipe cross-section, Eqs. (20)(22) together with Eqs. (8), (11) and (17) give m rp Ap rp 2pRm sp J Jyy Jzz rp Ip rp pR3 sp m 23

3.5. Torsion vibrations The I-DEAS beam nite element formulation of torsion displacements is based on the theory of a uniform rod. Thus, for torsion vibrations of the equivalent pipe the software produces approximate solutions to differential equation (19). To simulate both the low axial stiffness and the high torsion stiffness of the bellows by setting the shear modulus of elasticity greater than the modulus of elasticity the equation of a real material Gp Ep 21 1 n 27

r p Ap R2 mR2 m m 24 2 2
25

Jxx rp 2Ip rp 2pR3 sp rp Ap R2 mR2 m m m

in agreement with Eqs. (3)(5). The same will result from method (ii) if instead r is set to zero and md is set to the desired m. Method (iii) simulates a point mass. So, by that method the rotary inertia would not be included. In conclusion it is possible to correctly simulate the bellows (pipe) mass and mass moments of inertia in the beam nite element model. 3.3. Axial vibrations The I-DEAS beam nite element formulation of axial displacements is based on the theory of a uniform rod. Thus, for axial vibrations of the equivalent pipe the software produces approximate solutions to differential equation (10). In conclusion the beam nite element model will correctly simulate the axial vibrations of the bellows (pipe), provided that the pipe properties have been chosen according to above. 3.4. Bending vibrations The I-DEAS beam nite element formulation of bending is based on Timoshenko beam theory, which includes deformation due to transverse shear and in dynamics the inuence of rotary inertia. Thus, for bending vibrations of the equivalent pipe the software produces approximate solutions to the differential equation 2 3 4 Ep 24 w 22 w 2w rJ 24 w 1a E p Ip 4 1 m 2 2 J 1 1 a Gp 2t4 Gp 2x2 2t2 2x 2t 0 (26)

must be overridden. This is possible in I-DEAS by dening Poisson's ratio, n , as a Null Property in the Material Property Table. Had transverse shear been signicant for the bellows, bending vibrations would have been affected by the value of the shear modulus of elasticity. However, with the Shear Area Ratio set to zero the value of the shear modulus of elasticity is irrelevant to the bending behaviour. Alternatively Eq. (27) could have been fullled for a reasonable value of Poisson's ratio and instead the polar area moment of inertia Kp changed according to Eq. (18). This ctive value could then be given in the Key-In dialogue frame in the Beam Sections task. The mass moment of inertia for torsion would not have been affected since in the software this is based on the area moment of inertia according to Eq. (22) and not the polar area moment of inertia. In conclusion the beam nite element model will correctly simulate the torsion vibrations of the bellows (pipe), provided that the pipe properties and the software parameters have been chosen according to above. 3.6. Summary of modelling procedure The modelling procedure is summarised bellow. All details regarding software handling are not described. 1. Declare geometry and material properties of the bellows: mean radius, Rm, root radius, Rr, crown radius, Rc, convolution height, h, material thickness, s, number of convolutions, n, material mass density, r , modulus of elasticity, E, Poisson's ratio, n . 2. Determine the length of the bellows according to Eq. (1) or by measurements. 3. Determine the mass per unit length of the bellows according to Eq. (2) or by measurements. 4. Determine the mass density, r p and wall thickness, sp of the equivalent pipe according to Eq. (5). 5. Determine the axial stiffness, k or kT, and the torsion stiffness, c or cT, of the bellows by one of the methods described. 6. Determine the modulus of elasticity, Ep, of the equivalent pipe material according to Eq. (9) and the shear

Eqs. (14) and (26) are identical if the shear coefcient is set to zero in the beam element model. In the I-DEAS beam nite element formulation the corresponding parameter is called Shear Area Ratio. Using the Key-In method to dene the cross-sectional properties the inuence of transverse shear can be cancelled by setting this Shear Area Ratio to a small value, for example 10 210 (zero is not accepted). In conclusion the beam nite element model will correctly simulate the bending vibrations of the bellows (pipe), provided that the pipe properties and the software parameters have been chosen according to above.

G.I. Broman et al. / International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping 77 (2000) 445453 Table 1 Bending modes of sample bellows Mode Frequency (Hz) Calculated 1 2 3 4 197 326 462 585 Calculated [19] 196 325 449 571 Measured [19] 202 337 475 606 Diff. (%) 2.5 3.3 2.8 3.6

451

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

modulus of elasticity, Gp, of the equivalent pipe material according to Eq. (18). Dene the cross-section of the equivalent pipe in the Beam Sections task. The properties area, Ap, area moment of inertia, Ip, and polar area moment of inertia, Kp can by calculated by Eqs. (8), (11) and (17), respectively, and given in the Key-In dialogue frame. Alternatively the cross-section of the equivalent pipe can be drawn. The software then calculates these properties. Now calling the Key-In dialogue frame, with the drawn section active, will result in a dialogue frame already completed with these properties. In any case, set (change) the Shear Area Ratio to a small number. Name the Beam Section. Dene the material of the equivalent pipe. Use, for example, the Quick Create command, in the Meshing task, and change values of mass density to r p, modulus of elasticity to Ep, and shear modulus of elasticity to Gp. Dene Poisson's ratio as a Null Property. Name the Material. Create beam elements at the proper location in the Meshing task. In the case of a bellows being modelled as a part of a system the beam elements representing the bellows are of course located at the actual location of the bellows in the assembly. In the case of a bellows studied as a separate unit, beam elements are created on an arbitrary line of the length of the bellows. Create boundary conditions in the Boundary Conditions task. In the case of a bellows being modelled as a part of a system the proper interaction (mutual boundary conditions) must be simulated. Since the rest of the system is also modelled by beam or shell elements this is readily fullled by simply connecting the end nodes of the bellows model to the corresponding nodes of the rest of the system. Boundary conditions for the whole system are then dened. In the case of a bellows studied as a separate unit, proper boundary conditions are applied to the end nodes. Perform for example a Normal Mode Dynamics analysis.

experiments by Jakubauskas and Weaver [19]. As in that work the bellows is studied as a separate unit with xed boundary conditions at both ends, this is done also here to get comparable results. The axial stiffness for one half convolution is calculated by a shell nite element model to be k 1:11 MN=m; in good agreement with k 1:126 MN=m calculated by Jakubauskas and Weaver. The EJMA standards gives k 1:1 MN=m: The same nite element model is used when calculating the torsion stiffness, but with different boundary conditions. The torsion stiffness for one half convolution becomes c 5:58 MN m=rad: The EJMA standards gives c 4:5 MN m=rad: Clearly the error in the EJMA standards prediction of torsion stiffness is rather large. Jakubauskas and Weaver do not deal with torsion for this bellows. The rst four bending modes are given in Table 1. The rst column includes frequencies calculated in this work. The second and third column includes frequencies calculated and measured, respectively, by Jakubauskas and Weaver [19] (adjusted for the slight difference in axial stiffness and length used in the calculations). Differences between the rst and third column are given in the fourth column. Sufcient accuracy for the bending modes is achieved by 10 linear beam elements. The difference in result for the fourth natural frequency between using 10 and 20 elements is below 0.3%. The differences for the lower natural frequencies are even smaller. The convergence for axial and torsion vibrations are a bit slower. The rst four axial natural frequencies (Hz) predicted by 20 linear elements are, with the difference to the analytical result in parenthesis, 122 (0%), 244 (0.4%), 368 (0.8%), 495 (1.6%). The same for torsion is 3240 (0%), 6510 (0.4%), 9810 (0.9%), 13,200 (1.5%). 3.8. Discussion of results The excellent agreement between theory and experiments imply that the dynamic behaviour of bellows can actually be modelled by standard beam elements according to the above procedure. The method will work in any software in which the discussed element parameters can be set by the user. Of course, stress in the bellows cannot be predicted by this method but when the dynamic behaviour is known it can be used as input for a stress calculation, for example according to the EJMA standards, if desired. Torsion natural frequencies are much higher than axial and bending natural frequencies. However, if the bellows is a part of a curved exhaust system it is important to also include this degree of freedom. In interaction with the rest of the system torsion modes may well appear at lower frequencies. No experimental results of torsion natural frequencies have been found in the literature.

3.7. Verication The procedure is veried for the bellows used for

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3.9. Modelling of end caps, braid and inner-liner If end caps, braid and inner-liner are present the dynamic behaviour of the exible connection will be inuenced. The end cap can be modelled as a separate beam element with its actual pipe cross-section, which is connected to the neighbour element of the bellows model. This connection exists in reality for all degrees of freedom. For the braid it is more complicated. In bending vibrations the braid is forced to move with the bellows, so in that case the mass and stiffness could be added to the beam elements representing the bellows. For axial and torsion vibration it is however not obvious that the braid must move in phase with the bellows for all modes. For axial and torsion vibrations bellows and braid should then be uncoupled. This could probably be facilitated by describing the braid by separate beam elements that are connected to the bellows elements only for some degrees of freedom. The End Release command available for the linear beam element in I-DEAS will then probably come in handy. Non-linearity of the braid due to friction is probably negligible. Non-linearity due to different stiffness for push and pull deformations is however likely. If the braid is tightly wrapped around the bellows the stiffness for pulling will be much higher than for pushing. When the ends of the exible connection is pulled apart the diameter of the braid strive to decrease. With the high radial stiffness of the bellows this is almost prevented. When the ends of the bellows are pushed towards each other, the diameter of the braid strives to increase. This is not prevented by the bellows. For the inner-liner it is also more complicated. Non-linearity due to friction is probably rather high. It is therefore thought to be better to model the inner-liner separately and connect it to the bellows in some way in the overall systems analysis. The complication regarding different connections to the elements representing the bellows for axial, bending and torsion modes discussed for the braid, holds also for the inner-liner. These components and their complications are presently subject to further studies.

bellows is only a part of a system to be optimised with respect to overall design parameters. In contrast to existing semi-analytical methods this method has the potential of considering axial, bending and torsion degrees of freedom simultaneously, and it facilitates the interaction between the bellows and the rest of the system, also modelled by beam or shell nite elements. If braid and inner-liner are present the dynamic behaviour of the exible connection will be inuenced and the dynamic analysis will be more complicated. Most probably it will be necessary to consider non-linear effects. Some ideas regarding these complications have been discussed. Further investigations of these components are suggested. Another suggestion for further work is the study of torsion of the bellows. Little has been found about this in the literature and existing formulae in, for example, the EJMA standards have been found considerably poorer than the corresponding formulae for axial deformations. Acknowledgements Thanks to the research group at the department for valuable discussion. Thanks also for the support from AP Automotive Systems, Inc, especially Kristian Althini, Research and Development Manager, Per Folkesson, Prediction Engineer and Anders Svensson, Laboratory Manager. Financial support from the Swedish Foundation for Knowledge and Competence Development is gratefully acknowledged. References
[1] Korane KJ. Cutting emissions with metal bellows. Machine Design 1995:24. [2] Althini K, Folkesson P. Personal communication and unpublished internal reports, AP Automotive Systems, Inc., Torsas, Sweden, 1999. [3] Snedden NW. The strength and stability of corrugated bellows expansion joints, PhD thesis, D43087/82, Churchill College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, 1981. [4] Becht IV C, Imazu A, Jetter R, Reimus WS, editors. Metallic bellows and expansion joints 1989, The 1989 ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, JSME Co-sponsorship, Honolulu, Hawaii, 237 July 1989. [5] Andersson WF. Analysis of stresses in bellows Part I design criteria and test results, Atomic International, NAA-SR-4527, United States Atomic Energy Commission, 1964. [6] Andersson WF. Analysis of stresses in bellows Part II mathematical, Atomic International, NAA-SR-4527, United States Atomic Energy Commission, 1965. [7] ASME, ASME Boiler And Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII, Division 1, Appendix BB, New York, 1986. [8] EJMA, Standards of the Expansion Joint Manufacturers Association, seventh edition, 1998. [9] Hanna JW. A comparison of the ASME appendix BB to the EJMA standards. Metallic bellows and expansion joints 1989, The 1989 ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, JSME Co-sponsorship, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2327 July 1989. p. 7985. [10] Ting-Xin L, Bing-Liang G, Tian-Xiang L, Qing-Chen W. Stresses and fatigue failure of U-shaped bellows. Metallic bellows and expansion

4. Conclusions In this work a procedure for modelling exible metal bellows by the beam nite element formulation of the computation software I-DEAS Master Series 6 has been suggested. The method will work in any software in which the discussed element parameters can be set by the user. Experimental results from other investigators have been used for verication. The agreement is excellent. In spite of the geometry of the bellows being far from a beam, it has been shown that the bellows dynamic behaviour can be modelled by beam elements. In this way the model size is reduced by at least a factor of 100 compared to a shell elements model. This is especially advantageous when the

G.I. Broman et al. / International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping 77 (2000) 445453 joints 1989, The 1989 ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, JSME Co-sponsorship, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2327 July 1989. p. 139. Osweiller F. Design of an expansion joint by a nite element program comparison with the EJMA standards. Metallic bellows and expansion joints 1989, The 1989 ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, JSME Co-sponsorship, Honolulu, Hawaii, 23 27 July 1989. p. 8794. Broyles RK. EJMA design equations developments in a progressing technology 1994. In Bees WJ, editor. The 1994 ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, Minneapolis, MN, 1923 June 1994. Gerlach CR. Flow-induced vibrations of metal bellows. ASME Journal of Engineering for Industry 1969;91:1196202. Jakubauskas VF, Weaver DS. Natural vibrations of uid lled bellows. ASME Journal of Pressure Vessels Technology 1996; 118:48490. Ting-Xin L, Bing-Liang G, Tian-Xiang L. Natural frequencies of Ushaped bellows. International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping 1990;42:6174. Morishita M, Ikahata N, Kitamura S. Dynamic analysis methods of bellows including uidstructure interaction. Metallic bellows and expansion joints 1989, The 1989 ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, JSME Co-sponsorship, Honolulu, Hawaii, 23 27 July 1989. p. 14958. Jakubauskas VF. Transverse vibrations of bellows expansion joints, PhD thesis, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, 1996. Jakubauskas VF, Weaver DS. Transverse vibrations of bellows expansion joints Part I: uid added mass. Journal of Fluids and Structures 1998;12:44556. Jakubauskas VF, Weaver DS. Transverse vibrations of bellows expansion joints Part II: beam model development and experimental verication. Journal of Fluids and Structures 1998;12:45773. Weaver Jr. W, Timoshenko SP, Young DH. Vibration problems in engineering. 5th ed. New York: Wiley, 1990.

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[21] Paidoussis MP, Li GX. Pipes conveying uid a model dynamical problem. Journal of Fluids and Structures 1993;7:137204. [22] Blevins RD. Flow induced vibrations. 2nd ed. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand, 1990. [23] Timoshenko SP, Gere JM. Mechanics of materials. Princeton. NJ: Van Nostrand, 1972. [24] Cowper GR. The shear coefcient in Timoshenko beam theory. Journal of Applied Mechanics 1966; 33 (2): 33540. Transactions of ASME, vol 88, Series E. [25] SDRC, I-DEAS Master Series 6e, Structural Dynamics Research Corporation, 2000 Eastman Drive, Milford, OH 45150, USA, 1999. [26] Przemieniecki JS. Theory of matrix structural analysis. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968. [27] Hinton E, Owen DRJ. Finite element programming. New York: Academic Press, 1977. Goran Broman is an associate professor, head of the Master's program, and deputy head of the department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Karlskrona/Ronneby, Sweden. He holds an MSc and a PhD in mechanical engineering from the Lund University of Technology, Lund, Sweden.

[17] [18] [19] [20]

Anders Jonsson is a PhD student at the department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Karlskrona/Ronneby, Sweden. He holds an MSc in mechanical engineering from the same university.

Madeleine Hermann is a PhD student at the department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Karlskrona/Ronneby, Sweden. She holds an MSc in mechanical engineering from the same university.