Flow-Induced Bending of Rectangular Plates

An analysis of flow-induced bending of rectangular plates simply supported on two sides and free on the leading and trailing edges, with viscous entry flows differing in flow rate on top and bottom, is presented. Viscous shear is shown to be important in modifying the plate deflection near the leading edge. The flow rate is maximized and deflection minimized by using relatively small length-to-width ratios. The results are directly applicable to stacked rectangular fuel-bearing plates in nuclear reactors.