Abstract:

A new finite element method is proposed to simulate the transient process of mutual radiation among parts of structures. A radiation element is developed by using the general variational method. The radiation process between different parts of the structure is treated as general boundary conditions. In this way, the complicated process of mutual radiation can be greatly simplified. To validate the established method, experimental investigation is produced by use of a thin wall semi column shell made of 45# steel plate. An iodin tungsten light tube lying in the center of the column shell is used as the source of heat and the heat field is measured by distributed thermoelectric couples. Transient temperatures at different locations are recorded up to about 400℃. Numerical analyses show that the effect of mutual radiation increases as the temperature rising. Numerical results with consideration of the mutual radiation coincide very well with the test record. Therefore, the established method is not only simple but has high accuracy as well.

Key words: transient mutual radiation, temperature field, finite element method, structure, experiment