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The linear instability of a beam tensioned by its own weight is considered. It is shown that for long beams, in the sense of an adequate dimensionless parameter, the characteristics of the instability caused by a follower force do not depend on the length. The asymptotic regime significantly differs from that of short beams: flutter prevails for all types of follower loads, and flutter is localized at the edge of the beam. An approximate solution using matched assymptotic expansion is proposed for the case of a semi-infinite beam. Using a local criterion based on the stability of waves, the characteristics of this regime as well as its range of application can be well predicted. These results are finally discussed in relation with cases of flow-induced instabilities of slender structures., Comment: to appear in Journal of Mechanics of Materials and Structures

Many biological systems and artificial structures are ramified, and present a high geometric complexity. In this work, we propose a space-averaged model of branched systems for conservation laws. From a one-dimensional description of the system, we show that the space-averaged problem is also one-dimensional, represented by characteristic curves, defined as streamlines of the space-averaged branch directions. The geometric complexity is then captured firstly by the characteristic curves, and secondly by an additional forcing term in the equations. This model is then applied to mass balance in a pipe network and momentum balance in a tree under wind loading., Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures

Many technologies based on fluid-structure interaction mechanisms are being developed to harvest energy from geophysical flows. The velocity of such flows is low, and so is their energy density. Large systems are therefore required to extract a significant amount of energy. The question of the efficiency of energy harvesting using vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) of cables is addressed in this paper, through two reference configurations: (i) a long tensioned cable with periodically-distributed harvesters and (ii) a hanging cable with a single harvester at its upper extremity. After validation against either direct numerical simulations or experiments, an appropriate reduced-order wake- oscillator model is used to perform parametric studies of the impact of the harvesting parameters on the efficiency. For both configurations, an optimal set of parameters is identified and it is shown that the maximum efficiency is close to the value reached with an elastically-mounted rigid cylinder. The variability of the efficiency is studied in light of the fundamental properties of each configuration, i.e. body flexibility and gravity-induced spatial variation of the tension. In the periodically-distributed harvester configuration, it is found that the standing-wave nature of the vibration and structural mode selection play a central role in energy extraction. In contrast, the efficiency of the hanging cable is essentially driven by the occurrence of traveling wave vibrations., Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures

Most plants and benthic organisms have evolved efficient reconfiguration mechanisms to resist flow-induced loads. These mechanisms can be divided into bending, in which plants reduce their sail area through elastic deformation, and pruning, in which the loads are decreased through partial breakage of the structure. In this work, we show by using idealized models that these two mechanisms or, in fact, any combination of the two, are equally efficient to reduce the drag experienced by terrestrial and aquatic vegetation., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures

An experimental analysis of the vortex-induced vibrations of a hanging string with variable tension along its length is presented in this paper. It is shown that standing waves develop along the hanging string. The evolution of the Strouhal number St with the Reynolds number Re first follows a trend similar to what is observed for a circular cylinder in a flow for relatively low Reynolds numbers (32

The problem of energy harvesting from flutter instabilities in flexible slender structures in axial flows is considered. In a recent study, we used a reduced order theoretical model of such a system to demonstrate the feasibility for harvesting energy from these structures. Following this preliminary study, we now consider a continuous fluid-structure system. Energy harvesting is modelled as strain-based damping and the slender structure under investigation lies in a moderate fluid loading range, for which {the flexible structure} may be destabilised by damping. The key goal of this work is to {analyse the effect of damping distribution and intensity on the amount of energy harvested by the system}. The numerical results {indeed} suggest that non-uniform damping distributions may significantly improve the power harvesting capacity of the system. For low damping levels, clustered dampers at the position of peak curvature are shown to be optimal. Conversely for higher damping, harvesters distributed over the whole structure are more effective., Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, to appear in Proc. R. Soc. A

The development of energy harvesting systems based on fluid/structure interactions is part of the global search for innovative tools to produce renewable energy. In this paper, the possibility to harvest energy from a flow using vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) of a tensioned flexible cable is analyzed. The fluid loading on the vibrating solid and resulting dynamics are computed using an appropriate wake-oscillator model, allowing one to perform a systematic parametric study of the efficiency. The generic case of an elastically-mounted rigid cylinder is first investigated, before considering an infinite cable with two different types of energy harvesting : a uniformly spanwise distributed harvesting and then a periodic distribution of discrete harvesting devices. The maximum harvesting efficiency is of the same order for each configuration and is always reached when the solid body and its wake are in a frequency lock-in state., Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures

Man-made slender structures are known to be sensitive to high levels of vibration, due to their flexibility, which often cause irreversible damage. In nature, trees repeatedly endure large amplitudes of motion, mostly caused by strong climatic events, yet with minor or no damage in most cases. A new damping mechanism inspired by the architecture of trees is here identified and characterized in the simplest tree-like structure, a Y-shape branched structure. Through analytical and numerical analyses of a simple two-degree-of-freedom model, branching is shown to be the key ingredient in this protective mechanism that we call damping-by-branching. It originates in the geometrical nonlinearities so that it is specifically efficient to damp out large amplitudes of motion. A more realistic model, using flexible beam approximation, shows that the mechanism is robust. Finally, two bioinspired architectures are analyzed, showing significant levels of damping achieved via branching with typically 30% of the energy being dissipated in one oscillation. This concept of damping-by-branching is of simple practical use in the design of slender flexible structures., Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures

Whereas most plants are flexible structures that undergo large deformations under flow, another process can occur when the plant is broken by heavy fluid-loading. We investigate here the mechanism of such possible breakage, focusing on the flow-induced pruning that can be observed in plants or aquatic vegetation when parts of the structure break under flow. By computation on an actual tree geometry, a 20-yr-old walnut tree (Juglans Regia L.) and comparison with simple models, we analyze the influence of geometrical and physical parameters on the occurrence of branch breakage and on the successive breaking events occurring in a tree-like structure when the flow velocity is increased. We show that both the branching pattern and the slenderness exponent, defining the branch taper, play a major role in the breakage scenario. We identify a criterion for branch breakage to occur before breakage of the trunk. In that case, we show that the successive breakage of peripheral branches allows the plant to sustain higher flow forces. This mechanism is therefore similar to elastic reconfiguration, and can be seen as a second strategy to overcome critical events, possibly a widespread solution in plants and benthic organisms., Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures