Study of a misaligned flexibly coupled shaft system having nonlinear bearings and cyclic coupling stiffness—Theoretical model and analysis

A model which enables dynamic analysis of flexibly coupled misaligned shafts is presented. The model is setup to account for both angular and parallel misalignment in the presence of mass unbalance and incorporates a coupling having angular, torsional and axial flexibility. Among the important features is the ability to simulate both nonlinear bearing stiffness and coupling angular-stiffness anisotropy. The equations of motion are derived for the linear system, extended to include nonlinear bearing effects and subsequently transformed into non-dimensional form for general application. A series of numerical analyses are performed and the influence of important system parameters assessed thereby providing insight to the resulting static and dynamic forces and motions. Angular and parallel misalignments are shown to produce fundamentally different system response. It is found that the static preload induced by both types of misalignment can play a key role in producing complex vibration resulting from it's interaction with rotating-element anisotropy and bearing nonlinear properties. Bearing static forces are altered and rotating elements are subjected to alternating forces which could affect fatigue life. Bearing forces can be further modified by the application of transmitted torque. The potential for great variability in system response is shown to exist due to the participation of numerous influential variables.