The effect of trailing end geometry on the vibration of a circular cantilevered rod in nominally axial flow

The effect of “trailing end” geometry on the vibration of a circular cantilevered rod in nominally axial water flow is reported. Eleven different trailing end geometries were tested. For each end geometry, rms displacement response and damping were measured and are presented as functions of mean axial flow velocity. The various geometric end shapes are ordered according to their effectiveness in attenuating rod vibration. The results, which are in qualitative agreement with similar experimental results from tests on flat plates, provide the designer with empirical information that allows selecting a trailing end geometry that minimizes response to parallel flow excitation. The results have application in the design of nuclear reactor fuel pins and certain instrumentation probes.