Dynamics and stability of turbocharger rotors

The paper discusses the bifurcation and stability behavior of (automotive) turbochargers with full-floating ring bearings. Turbocharger rotors exhibit a highly nonlinear behavior due to the nonlinearities introduced by the floating ring bearings. A flexible multibody model of the rotor/bearing system is presented. Numerical run-up simulations are compared with corresponding test rig measurements. The nonlinear oscillation effects are thoroughly investigated by means of simulated and measured rotor vibrations. The influence of various system parameters on the bifurcation behavior of the rotor/bearing system is analyzed. The article examines rotors supported in full-floating ring bearings with plain circular bearing geometry in the inner and outer oil gap. By recapitulating the well-known oil whirl and oil whip phenomena for single and double oil film bearings, the paper gives an overview on the fundamental dynamic effects occurring in turbocharger systems.