On the dynamics of a nonlinear rotor-floating ring bearing system

Today, in high speed applications the rotors are commonly supported by hydrodynamic journal bearings. One typical configuration of journal bearings incorporated in automotive turbochargers is the floating ring bearing. Rotors supported by floating ring bearings have many advantages, regarding costs and power consumption for example. However, they might become unstable with increasing speed of rotation. At the onset of instability both the perfectly balanced and unbalanced rotor undergo self-excited vibrations which could cause the mechanical breakdown of the system. The “oil whip”-phenomenon, very well known from the investigations of the plain journal bearing occurs here in a different form. At the stability limit the rotor begins either oscillating with about the half of the ring speed or the half of the ring speed plus the half of the journal speed depending on the system parameters. For this reason a rotor-floating ring bearing model is presented showing the mentioned characteristics. By applying the nonlinear equations of motion the limit cycles of the system are determined and its loss of stability is investigated. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Nonlinear stability analysis of rotor-bearing systems

High-speed rotors supported by floating ring bearings exhibit beside self-excited vibrations various nonlinear vibration effects, which may cause the damage of the rotor. After deriving the equations of motion of a perfectly balanced turbocharger rotor supported by floating ring bearings, bifurcation analyses are carried out with both rigid and flexible model by applying numerical continuation methods. Thereby, the main focus of the investigation is on the critical bifurcations emanating destructive limit-cycle oscillations of higher amplitudes. Finally, the influence of the shaft elasticity on the critical limit-cycle oscillations is discussed. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The influences of longitudinal surface roughness on sub-critical and super-critical limit cycles of short journal bearings

By applying the stochastic model of rough surfaces by Christensen (1969–1970, 1971)  and  together with the Hopf bifurcation theory by Hassard et al. (1981) [3], the present study is mainly concerned with the influences of longitudinal roughness patterns on the linear stability regions, Hopf bifurcation regions, sub-critical and super-critical limit cycles of short journal bearings. It is found that the longitudinal rough-surface bearings can exhibit Hopf bifurcation behaviors in the vicinity of bifurcation points. For fixed bearing parameter, the effects of longitudinal roughness structures provide an increase in the linear stability region, as well as a reduction in the size of sub-critical and super-critical limit cycles as compared to the smooth-bearing case.     

Chaotic response and bifurcation analysis of a flexible rotor supported by porous and non-porous bearings with nonlinear suspension

This study presents numerical work investigating the dynamic responses of a flexible rotor supported by porous journal bearings. Both porous and non-porous bearing types are taken into consideration in this study. The rotating speed ratios and imbalance parameters are also presented and proved to be important control parameters. Many non-periodic responses to chaotic and quasi-periodic motions are found, too. From the bifurcation diagrams in this paper, it is also evidenced that the vibration behaviors would be improved by porous bearings. The modeling result obtained here can be employed to predict the dynamics of bearing–rotor systems, and undesirable behavior of the rotor and bearing orbits can be avoided. Also, this could help engineers and researchers in designing and studying bearing–rotor systems or some turbo-machinery in the future.     

A new nonlinear dynamic analysis method of rotor system supported by oil-film journal bearings

The strong nonlinear behavior usually exists in rotor systems supported by oil-film journal bearings. In this paper, the partial derivative method is extended to the second-order approximate extent to predict the nonlinear dynamic stiffness and damping coefficients of finite-long journal bearings. And the nonlinear oil-film forces approximately represented by dynamic coefficients are used to analyze nonlinear dynamic performance of a symmetrical flexible rotor-bearing system via the journal orbit, phase portrait and Poincaré map. The effects of mass eccentricity on dynamic behaviors of rotor system are mainly investigated. Moreover, the computational method of nonlinear dynamic coefficients of infinite-short bearing is presented. The nonlinear oil-film forces model of finite-long bearing is validated by comparing the numerical results with those obtained by an infinite-short bearing-rotor system model. The results show that the representation method of nonlinear oil-film forces by dynamic coefficients has universal applicability and allows one easily to conduct the nonlinear dynamic analysis of rotor systems.     

Numerical analysis of a rigid rotor supported by aerodynamic four-lobe journal bearing system with mass unbalance

This paper presents the effect of rotor mass on the nonlinear dynamic behavior of a rigid rotor-bearing system excited by mass unbalance. Aerodynamic four-lobe journal bearing is used to support a rigid rotor. A finite element method is employed to solve the Reynolds equation in static and dynamical states and the dynamical equations are solved using Runge-Kutta method. To analyze the behavior of the rotor center in the horizontal and vertical directions under different operating conditions, the dynamic trajectory, the power spectra, the Poincare maps and the bifurcation diagrams are used. From this study, results show how the complex dynamic behavior of this type of system comprising periodic, KT-periodic and quasi-periodic responses of the rotor center varies with changes in rotor mass values by considering two bearing aspect ratios. Results of this study contribute a better understanding of the nonlinear dynamics of an aerodynamic four-lobe journal bearing system.     

Non-linear dynamic analysis of a flexible rotor supported on porous oil journal bearings

In the present paper, the non-linear dynamic analysis of a flexible rotor with a rigid disk under unbalance excitation mounted on porous oil journal bearings at the two ends is carried out. The system equation of motion is obtained by finite element formulation of Timoshenko beam and the disk. The non-linear oil-film forces are calculated from the solution of the modified Reynolds equation simultaneously with Darcy’s equation. The system equation of motion is then solved by the Wilson-θ method. Bifurcation diagrams, Poincaré maps, time response, journal trajectories, FFT-spectrum, etc. are obtained to study the non-linear dynamics of the rotor-bearing system. The effect of various non-dimensional rotor-bearing parameters on the bifurcation characteristics of the system is studied. It is shown that the system undergoes Hopf bifurcation as the speed increases. Further, slenderness ratio, material properties of the rotor, ratio of disk mass to shaft mass and permeability of the porous bush are shown to have profound effect on the bifurcation characteristics of the rotor-bearing system.     

Response and bifurcation of rotor with squeeze film damper on elastic support

This paper investigates the nonlinear response and bifurcation of rotor with Squeezed Film Damper (SFD) supported on elastic foundation. The motion equations are derived. To analyze the bifurcation of nonlinear response of SFD rotor, the Floquet Multipliers is obtained by solving the perturbation equations with numerical method. For computing Floquet Multipliers, a novel method is presented in this paper, which can begin integration at the stable solution. Simulation results are given in two figures. One figure, which consists of eight subfigures, gives the effect of rotating speed on the response of SFD damper supported on elastic foundation: with increasing rotating speed, the nonlinear response evolves from quasi-period to period, then jumps between different periods, and finally returns to quasi-period; the corresponding bifurcations are saddle-node bifurcation and secondary Hopf bifurcation. The second figure, which consists of six subfigures, shows that: the support stiffness has large influence on the response of bearings and film force in SFD; large support stiffness can lead to oil whirl in SFD.     

非线性转子系统稳定性量化分析方法

转子轴承系统是一类多自由度非线性动力系统,广泛应用于工程实际．设计观念和维修体制的变革提出了稳定性量化分析的要求．本文利用轨线保稳降维方法提出了转子系统稳定性的量化分析方法．首先,对高维非线性非自治转子系统进行数值积分,将n维空间的轨线映射为一系列一维的映象轨线,并将各自由度的运动方程中除该自由度外的所有状态变量用积分结果代换,得到n个互相解耦,含有多个时变参数的单自由度方程．然后,在一维观察空间的外力位移扩展相平面上定义了动态中心点,研究转子系统中常见的几种运动的动态中心点动能差序列的特点,给出了上述典型运动形式的轨线稳定裕度的定量评估指标,应用灵敏度分析技术快速有效地预测周期运动的倍周期分岔点和Hopf分岔点．以一个具有非线性支承的滑动轴承柔性转子模型为例,证明了该方法的有效性．     

Approximation of quasi-periodic solutions of a rotor in two-lobe bearings with time-varying geometry

Improving the dynamic behaviour of rotor systems in journal bearings represents an ongoing topic of research. The pressure distribution within journal bearings is described by the Reynolds equation, whereby unwanted oscillations can be caused by the fluid-solid interaction within the bearings. An approach of a two-lobe bearing with time-varying geometry is suggested to suppress or at least to reduce occurring oscillations. In order to systematically analyse the system, a spectral reduction is performed, allowing to handle also quasi-periodic behaviour by means of numerical continuation algorithms. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Bifurcation analysis of an aerodynamic journal bearing system considering the effect of stationary herringbone grooves

This paper investigates the bifurcation and nonlinear behavior of an aerodynamic journal bearing system taking into account the effect of stationary herringbone grooves. A finite difference method based on the successive over relation approach is employed to solve the Reynolds’ equation. The analysis reveals a complex dynamical behavior comprising periodic and quasi-periodic responses of the rotor center. The dynamic behavior of the bearing system varies with changes in the bearing number and rotor mass. The results of this study provide a better understanding of the nonlinear dynamics of aerodynamic grooved journal bearing systems.     

Nonlinear dynamic analysis for bevel-gear system under nonlinear suspension-bifurcation and chaos

This study aims to analyze the dynamic behavior of bevel-geared rotor system supported on a thrust bearing and journal bearings under nonlinear suspension. The dynamic orbits of the system are observed using bifurcation diagrams plotted with both the dimensionless unbalance coefficient and the dimensionless rotational speed ratio as control parameters. The onset of chaotic motion is identified from the phase diagrams, power spectra, Poincaré maps, Lyapunov exponents, and fractal dimensions of the gear-bearing system. The numerical results reveal that the system exhibits a diverse range of periodic, sub-harmonic, and chaotic behaviors. The results presented in this study provide an understanding of the operating conditions under which undesirable dynamic motion takes place in a gear-bearing system and therefore serves as a useful source of reference for engineers in designing and controlling such systems.     

Sensitivity of Computational Rotor Dynamics Towards the Empirically Estimated Lubrication Gap Clearance of Foil Air Journal Bearings

This contribution is concerned with the computational analysis of a rigid rotor supported by means of two self-acting foil air journal bearings. Even though the overall equation system is thereby typically written in a nondimensional form, prior knowledge about realistic value ranges of occurring dimensionless numbers is required in order to parameterize and interpret such simulations correctly. Unlike all other quantities, the nominal lubrication gap clearance between the rotating journal and the undeformed foil structure is reported to be only poorly known. Thus, even in the light of an advanced understanding of the bearing rotor system's fundamental behavior, the quantitative reproduction and prediction of experimental results by means of computational analysis need to be viewed critically. In this study, the sensitivity of numerical results towards the assumed nominal lubrication gap clearance will be investigated. To this end, the stability of the system is considered and the characteristics of occasionally observed equilibrium points and limit cycles are addressed. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Bifurcation and nonlinear analysis of a flexible rotor supported by a relative short spherical gas bearing system

This paper employs a hybrid numerical method combining the differential transformation method and the finite difference method to study the bifurcation and nonlinear dynamic behavior of a flexible rotor supported by a relative short spherical gas bearing (RSSGB) system. The analytical results reveal a complex dynamic behavior comprising periodic, sub-harmonic, quasi-periodic, and chaotic responses of the rotor center and the journal center. Furthermore, the results reveal the changes which take place in the dynamic behavior of the bearing system as the rotor mass and bearing number are increased. The current analytical results are found to be in good agreement with those of other numerical methods. Therefore, the proposed method provides an effective means of gaining insights into the nonlinear dynamics of RSSGB systems.     

Voltage transformer ferroresonance analysis using multiple scales method and chaos theory

In this article, the Multiple Scales Method is used to analyze the chaotic behavior and different types of fixed points in ferroresonance of voltage transformers considering core loss. This phenomenon has nonlinear chaotic dynamics and includes subharmonic, quasi‐periodic, and also chaotic oscillations. In this article, the chaotic behavior and various ferroresonant oscillations modes of the voltage transformer is studied. This phenomenon consists of different types of bifurcations such as Period Doubling Bifurcation (PDB), Saddle Node Bifurcation (SNB), Hopf Bifurcation (HB) and chaos. The dynamic analysis of ferroresonant circuit is based on bifurcation theory. The bifurcation and phase plane diagrams are illustrated using a continuous method and linear and nonlinear models of core loss. To analyze ferroresonance phenomenon, the Lyapunov exponents are calculated via Multiple Scales Method obtaining Feigenbaum numbers. The bifurcation diagrams illustrate the variation of the control parameter. Therefore, the chaos is created and increased in the system. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 18: 34‐45, 2013     

磁轴承失灵后坠落转子瞬态振动灾变机理研究

研究一个带磁轴承的转子系统,在磁轴承失灵后转子坠入备用轴承引起的非线性瞬态振动。通过严格建立运动方程和数值仿真计算,详尽地分析了坠落转子转动角速度变化和轴颈与备用轴承接触点法向力变化的时间历程及备用轴承振动位移的频谱,发现系统发生灾变破坏的原因是由于高速不平衡阻尼转子减速通过临界速度时引起的强烈非稳态受迫弯曲振动加上轴颈与备用轴承接触点碰摩的非线性引起的高频颤振。     

Vibrations of Rotors Supported on Nonlinear Bearings

Rotors in electrical machines are supported by various types of bearings. In general, the rotor bearings have nonlinear stiffness properties and they influence the rotor vibrations significantly. In this work, this influence of these nonlinearities is investigated. A simplified finite element model using Timoshenko beam elements is set up for the heterogeneous structure of the rotor. A transversally isotropic material model is adopted for the rotor core stack. Imposing the nonlinear bearing stiffnesses on the model, the Newton-Raphson procedure is used to carry out a run up simulation. The spectral content of these results shows nonlinear effects due to the bearings. The rotor vibrations are further investigated in detail for various constant speeds. These results show non-harmonic vibrations of the rotor in a section of the investigated speed range. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Effective approaches to explore rich dynamics of delay-differential equations

Discrete models are proposed to delve into the rich dynamics of nonlinear delayed systems under Euler discretization, such as backwards bifurcations, stable limit cycles, multiple limit-cycle bifurcations and chaotic behavior. The effect of breaking the special symmetry of the system is to create a wide complex operating conditions which would not otherwise be seen. These include multiple steady states, complex periodic oscillations, chaos by period doubling bifurcations. Effective computation of multiple bifurcations, stable limit cycles, symmetrical breaking bifurcations and chaotic behavior in nonlinear delayed equations is developed.     

Investigation of relation between singular points and number of limit cycles for a rotor–AMBs system

The relation between singular points and the number of limit cycles is investigated for a rotor-active magnetic bearings system with time-varying stiffness and single-degree-of-freedom. The averaged equation of the system is a perturbed polynomial Hamiltonian system of degree 5. The dynamic characteristics of the unperturbed system are first analyzed for a certain parameter group. The number of limit cycles and their configurations of the perturbed system under eight different parametric groups are obtained and the influence of eight control conditions on the number of limit cycles is studied. The results obtained here will play an important leading role in the study of the properties of nonlinear dynamics and control of the rotor-active magnetic bearings system with time-varying stiffness.     

Modeling and analysis of nonlinear rotordynamics due to higher order deformations in bending

A mathematical model incorporating the higher order deformations in bending is developed and analyzed to investigate the nonlinear dynamics of rotors. The rotor system considered for the present work consists of a flexible shaft and a rigid disk. The shaft is modeled as a beam with a circular cross section and the Euler Bernoulli beam theory is applied with added effects such as rotary inertia, gyroscopic effect, higher order large deformations, rotor mass unbalance and dynamic axial force. The kinetic and strain (deformation) energies of the rotor system are derived and the Rayleigh–Ritz method is used to discretize these energy expressions. Hamilton’s principle is then applied to obtain the mathematical model consisting of second order coupled nonlinear differential equations of motion. In order to solve these equations and hence obtain the nonlinear dynamic response of the rotor system, the method of multiple scales is applied. Furthermore, this response is examined for different possible resonant conditions and resonant curves are plotted and discussed. It is concluded that nonlinearity due to higher order deformations significantly affects the dynamic behavior of the rotor system leading to resonant hard spring type curves. It is also observed that variations in the values of different parameters like mass unbalance and shaft diameter greatly influence dynamic response. These influences are also presented graphically and discussed.