Homogenization of a non-linear array of confined beams Original Research Article

This paper focuses on a model of a periodic diphasic medium, a periodic beam array in a fluid, which can represent a nuclear reactor core. First, to understand the phenomena involved, we study two subsystems: a row of beams and a section of a row of beams. Then we validate a simple fluid model which allows us to determine the important parameters of the fluid-structure interaction: the confinement parameter and, of course, the fluid density. A homogenization technique is used to model the beam array. Thus, the number of degrees of freedom obtained being sufficiently small, it is possible to perform simulations of this complex system. This model is capable of allowing for beam bending, together with any shocks incurred during important excitations.