Thermal striping of a rod: Thermoelastic solution for sinusoidal fluid temperature

A numerical solution is obtained for the one-dimensional temperature distribution in a rod which is assumed to be immersed in a fluid of sinusoidally-varying temperature. Readily available stress equations are combined with the thermal solution to perform a structural analysis in which all stresses are assumed to be within the elastic limit of the material. This leads to a parametric set of dimensionless curves which explain the interaction of the relevant parameters, such as the rod size and material properties, the frequency and amplitude of the fluid temperature oscillation, and the fluid thermal resistance at the surface of the rod. A hypothetical example is given in which the results are applied to thermal striping in the outlet plenum of a liquid metal reactor. 2 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab