New breathing functions for the transverse breathing crack of the cracked rotor system: Approach for critical and subcritical harmonic analysis

The actual breathing mechanism of the transverse breathing crack in the cracked rotor system that appears due to the shaft weight is addressed here. As a result, the correct time-varying area moments of inertia for the cracked element cross-section during shaft rotation are also determined. Hence, two new breathing functions are identified to represent the actual breathing effect on the cracked element stiffness matrix. The new breathing functions are used in formulating the time-varying finite element stiffness matrix of the cracked element. The finite element equations of motion are then formulated for the cracked rotor system and solved via harmonic balance method for response, whirl orbits and the shift in the critical and subcritical speeds. The analytical results of this approach are compared with some previously published results obtained using approximate formulas for the breathing mechanism. The comparison shows that the previously used breathing function is a weak model for the breathing mechanism in the cracked rotor even for small crack depths. The new breathing functions give more accurate results for the dynamic behavior of the cracked rotor system for a wide range of the crack depths. The current approach is found to be efficient for crack detection since the critical and subcritical shaft speeds, the unique vibration signature in the neighborhood of the subcritical speeds and the sensitivity to the unbalance force direction all together can be utilized to detect the breathing crack before further damage occurs.     

Dynamic analysis of a geared rotor system considering a slant crack on the shaft

The vibration problems associated with geared systems have been the focus of research in recent years. As the torque is mainly transmitted by the geared system, a slant crack is more likely to appear on the gear shaft. Due to the slant crack and its breathing mechanism, the dynamic behavior of cracked geared system would differ distinctly with that of uncracked system. Relatively less work is reported on slant crack in the geared rotor system during the past research. Thus, the dynamic analysis of a geared rotor-bearing system with a breathing slant crack is performed in the paper. The finite element model of a geared rotor with slant crack is presented. Based on fracture mechanics, the flexibility matrix for the slant crack is derived that accounts for the additional stress intensity factors. Three methods for whirling analysis, parametric instability analysis and steady-state response analysis are introduced. Then, by taking a widely used one-stage geared rotor-bearing system as an example, the whirling frequencies of the equivalent time-invariant system, two types of instability regions and steady-state response under the excitations of unbalance forces and tooth transmission errors, are computed numerically. The effects of crack depth, position and type (transverse or slant) on the system dynamic behaviors are considered in the discussion. The comparative study with slant cracked geared rotor is carried out to explore distinctive features in their modal, parametric instability and frequency response behaviors.     

Experimental investigations of the response of a cracked rotor to periodic axial excitation

In this paper, the coupling of lateral and longitudinal vibrations due to the presence of transverse surface crack in a rotor is explored. A crack in a rotor is known to introduce coupling between lateral and longitudinal vibrations. Steady state unbalance response of a cracked rotor with a single centrally situated crack subjected to periodic axial impulses is investigated experimentally. The cracked rotor is excited axially using an electrodynamic exciter at a frequency equal to its bending natural frequency in both non-rotating and rotating conditions. The resulting time domain and frequency domain signals of the cracked rotor are studied. Spectral response of the cracked rotor with and without axial excitation is found to be distinctively different. When excited axially, it shows prominent presence of rotor bending natural frequency. However for an uncracked rotor, the response is similar with or without axial excitation. It is thus proposed that the response of the rotor to axial impulse excitation could be used for more reliable diagnosis of rotor cracks.     

THE SWING VIBRATION, TRANSVERSE OSCILLATION OF CRACKED ROTOR AND THE INTERMITTENCE CHAOS

This paper studies the non-linear dynamic response of a cracked rotor by taking the swing vibration of disc into consideration. The results show that if a small crack appears, the frequency of transverse oscillation is synchronous with rotating speed ratio (Ω), and the frequency of swing vibration is N Ω (N=1,2,…). As the crack increases, the response becomes chaotic in some range of Ω. The deeper the crack is, the wider the chaotic range of Ω is. Routes to chaos include intermittence to chaos and quasi-period to chaos. When the crack is fairly deep, some new resonance regions develop. In these regions, the response becomes infinity rapidly. The appearance of intermittence chaos is induced by the frequent frustration of stable oscillation, which is resulted from the continuous increase of swing amplitude. Unbalance parameter U is effective in suppressing chaos. Crack angle β cannot affect the essence of response, but can influence the amplitude of synchronous response.     

Dynamic behavior analysis of cracked rotor

In the present study, the additional slope is used to consider the crack breathing, and is expressed explicitly in the equation of motion as one of the inputs to produce the bending moment at the crack position. Inversely, the additional slope is calculated by integrating on the crack region based on a fracture mechanics concept. The response of a cracked rotor is formulated based on the transfer matrix method. The transient behavior due to the crack breathing is considered by introducing a ‘moving’ Fourier-series expansion concept to the additional slope. The time-varying harmonic components of the additional slope are used to calculate the harmonic responses. The application considered is a general rotor model composed of multiple shafts, disks and cracks, and resilient bearings at both ends. Verification analysis is carried out for a simple rotor model similar to those found in the literature. Using the additional slope, the cracked rotor behavior is explained by the crack depth and rotation speed increase. It is shown that region on the crack front line having the dominant stress intensity factor value moves from the central area to both ends, as the crack depth increases. The result matches well with the crack propagation pattern shown in a bench mark test in the literature. Whirl orbits near the critical and sub-critical speed ranges of the rotor are discussed. It is shown that there exists some speed range near the critical speed, where the temporary whirl direction reversal and phase shift exist. When an unbalance is applied, the peculiar features, such as the whirl direction reversal and phase shift, disappear.     

Rigid finite element model of a cracked rotor

The article introduces a new mathematical model for the cracked rotating shaft. The model is based on the rigid finite element (RFE) method, which has previously been successfully applied for the dynamic analysis of many complicated, mechanical structures. In this article, the RFE method is extended and adopted for the modeling of rotating machines. An original concept of crack modeling utilizing the RFE method is developed. The crack is presented as a set of spring–damping elements of variable stiffness connecting two sections of the shaft. An alternative approach for approximating the breathing mechanism of the crack is introduced. The approach is simple and allows one to intuitively and systematically prepare and analyze the model of a cracked rotor.The proposed method is illustrated with numerical and experimental results. The experiments conducted for the uncracked free–free rotor as well as the numerical results obtained with other software confirm the accuracy of the RFE model. The numerical analysis conducted for a set of cracked rotors has shown that, depending on the eccentricity and its angular location, the breathing behavior of the crack may take different forms. In spite of this, the frequency spectra for different cracks are almost identical.Due to its simplicity and numerous advantages, the proposed approach may be useful for rotor crack detection, especially if methods utilizing the mathematical model of the rotor are applied.     

The use of roving discs and orthogonal natural frequencies for crack identification and location in rotors

A variety of approaches that have been developed for the identification and localisation of cracks in a rotor system, which exploit natural frequencies, require a finite element model to obtain the natural frequencies of the intact rotor as baseline data. In fact, such approaches can give erroneous results about the location and depth of a crack if an inaccurate finite element model is used to represent an uncracked model. A new approach for the identification and localisation of cracks in rotor systems, which does not require the use of the natural frequencies of an intact rotor as a baseline data, is presented in this paper. The approach, named orthogonal natural frequencies (ONFs), is based only on the natural frequencies of the non-rotating cracked rotor in the two lateral bending vibration x–z and y–z planes. The approach uses the cracked natural frequencies in the horizontal x–z plane as the reference data instead of the intact natural frequencies. Also, a roving disc is traversed along the rotor in order to enhance the dynamics of the rotor at the cracked locations. At each spatial location of the roving disc, the two ONFs of the rotor–disc system are determined from which the corresponding ONF ratio is computed. The ONF ratios are normalised by the maximum ONF ratio to obtain normalised orthogonal natural frequency curves (NONFCs). The non-rotating cracked rotor is simulated by the finite element method using the Bernoulli–Euler beam theory. The unique characteristics of the proposed approach are the sharp, notched peaks at the crack locations but rounded peaks at non-cracked locations. These features facilitate the unambiguous identification and locations of cracks in rotors. The effects of crack depth, crack location, and mass of a roving disc are investigated. The results show that the proposed method has a great potential in the identification and localisation of cracks in a non-rotating cracked rotor.     

Effect of unbalanced rotor whirl on blade vibrations

In this paper, vibration of a bladed unbalanced flexible rotor is studied. The blade that is attached to the disk is considered as a fixed-free Euler-Bernoulli beam. Position of the blade with respect to the eccentric mass is taken into consideration. Coupled equations of the motion of unbalanced rotor and the blades are obtained through Lagrange equations. The dynamic equations have time variant periodic coefficients. Transient vibration analysis showed that rotor acceleration excites the blade vibration with its own natural frequency. While the rotor passes through its own natural frequency (critical speed) the blade vibration is again excited but this time with the rotor natural frequency. Modal behavior of the blades are different for subcritical, supercritical and for critical speed of the rotor. In the subcritical run of the rotor, blades located from 0° to 180° with respect to the eccentric mass are deflected in the negative direction while the rest are deflected in the positive direction. For supercritical run of the rotor, modal behavior of the blades is just the opposite. For critical speed of the rotor, blades located 90° to 270° from the eccentric mass are deflected in the positive direction while the rest of the blades are deflected in the negative direction. Blades have also different deflections. When the deflections of the blades are plotted with respect to their position angle, distribution of the blade deflections has a sinusoidal shape.     

The dynamics of a cracked rotor with an active magnetic bearing

The dynamic characteristics of a cracked rotor with an active magnetic bearing (AMB) are theoretically analyzed in this paper. The effects of using optimal controller parameters on the dynamic characteristics of the cracked rotor and the effect of a crack on the stability of the active control system are discussed. It is shown that the dynamic characteristics of the cracked rotor with AMBs are clearly more complex than that of the traditional cracked rotor system. Adaptive control with AMBs may hide the fault characteristics of the cracked rotor, rather than helping to diagnose a crack; this will depend on the controller strategy used. It is very difficult to detect a crack in the rotor with an AMB support system when the vibration of the rotor system is fully controlled. Monitoring the super-harmonic components of 2× and 3× revolution in the sub-critical speed region can be used as an index to detect a crack in the rotor with an AMB system. If the effect of the crack is not taken into account at the design stage of the controller, then the rotor-AMB system will lose its stability in some cases when cracks appear.     

DYNAMICS OF A TWO-CRACK ROTOR

The effect of the presence of the single transverse crack on the response of the rotor has been a focus of attention for many researchers. In the present work a simple Jeffcott rotor with two transverse surface cracks has been studied. The stiffness of such a rotor is derived based on the concepts of fracture mechanics. Subsequently, the effect of the interaction of the two cracks on the breathing behavior and on the unbalance response of the rotor is studied. When the angular orientation of one crack relative to the other is varied, significant changes in the dynamic response of the rotor are noticed. A special case of practical importance of a two-crack rotor is one when one of the cracks is assumed to remain open always whereas the other can breathe like a fatigue crack. This simulates a transverse crack in an asymmetric rotor. Effect of orientation of the breathing crack with respect to the open crack on the dynamic response is studied in detail. The results of the present study will be useful in diagnosing fatigue cracks in real rotors, which invariably have some asymmetry.     

The vibration signature of chordal cracks in a rotor system including uncertainties

The aim of this paper is to investigate the effects of the presence of a transverse crack in a rotating shaft under uncertain physical parameters in order to obtain some indications that might be useful in detecting the presence of a crack in rotating system. The random dynamic response of the cracked rotor is evaluated by expanding the changing stiffness of the crack (i.e. the breathing mechanism) as a random truncated Fourier series. To avoid the use of the Monte Carlo simulations (MCS), an alternative procedure that is based on a combination of the Harmonic Balance Method and the Stochastic Finite Element Method (SFEM) using the Polynomial Chaos Expansion (PCE) is proposed. So the response of the Fourier components of the cracked rotor is expanded in the polynomial chaoses. The random dynamic response obtained by applying this procedure is compared with that evaluated through numerical integration based on the Harmonic Balance Method and the Monte Carlo simulations.     

Coupled horizontal and vertical bending vibrations of a stationary shaft with two cracks

This paper investigates the coupled bending vibrations of a stationary shaft with two cracks. It is known from the literature that, when a crack exists in a shaft, the bending, torsional, and longitudinal vibrations are coupled. This study focuses on the horizontal and vertical planes of a cracked shaft, whose bending vibrations are caused by a vertical excitation, in the clamped end of the model. When the crack orientations are not symmetrical to the vertical plane, a response in the horizontal plane is observed due to the presence of the cracks. The crack orientation is defined by the rotational angle of the crack, a parameter which affects the horizontal response. When more cracks appear in a shaft, then the coupling becomes stronger or weaker depending on the relative crack orientations. It is shown that a double peak appears in the vibration spectrum of a cracked or multi-cracked shaft.Modeling the crack in the traditional manner, as a spring, yields analytical results for the horizontal response as a function of the rotational angle and the depths of the two cracks. A 2×2 compliance matrix, containing two non-diagonal terms (those responsible for the coupling) serves to model the crack. Using the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory, the equations for the natural frequencies and the coupled response of the shaft are defined. The experimental coupled response and eigenfrequency measurements for the corresponding planes are presented. The double peak was also experimentally observed.     

Investigations on the spin Hamiltonian parameters and defect structure for the interstitial Mo centre in TiO2

The spin Hamiltonian parameters, g factors g_i (i = x, y, z) and the hyperfine structure constants A_i for the interstitial Mo⁵⁺ centre in rutile TiO₂ are quantitatively investigated from the perturbation formulas of these parameters for a 4d¹ ion in rhombically compressed octahedra. From the studies, the local compression parameter τ′ (≈0.024) and the rhombic distortion angle δ?′ (≈1.74°) around the impurity Mo⁵⁺ are smaller than the host values (≈0.091 and 3.5°). This means that the oxygen octahedron in the impurity centre has less rhombic distortion than that on the host interstitial site due to the Jahn–Teller effect and occupation of the impurity. The above local lattice distortion of the studied impurity centre is also discussed.     

Combined effects of the in-plane orientation angle and the loading angle on the dynamic enhancement of honeycombs under mixed shear-compression loading

The combined effect of the loading angle (ψ) and the in-plane orientation angle (β) on the dynamic enhancement of aluminium alloy honeycombs is investigated. Experimental results are analysed on the crushing surfaces (initial peak and average crushing forces). A significant effect of the loading angle is reported. The dynamic enhancement rate depends on the loading angle until a critical loading angle (ψ_critical). Beyond, a negative dynamic enhancement rate is observed. Concerning the in-plane orientation angle β effect, it depends on the loading angle ψ under quasi-static conditions. Under dynamic conditions, a significant effect is reported independently of the loading angle ψ. Therefore, the dynamic enhancement rate depends on the combined effects of ψ and β angles. A global analysis of the buckling mechanisms allowed us to explain the combined effect of ψ and β angles on the initial peak force. The collapse mechanisms analysis explain the negative dynamic enhancement rate for large loading angles.     

A study of the n-n interaction from a complete experiment of the n + d break-up at 14.5 MeV

Results of the analysis of two complete experiments on ²H(n, nnp) at 14.5±0.1 MeV are given. In the first n-n final-state-interaction (f.s.i.) experiment (neutron lab angles θ₁ = θ₂ = +30°, n-n relative energy E_nn measured between 0 and ≈ 800 keV) about 4400 events were recorded. In the second n-p f.s.i. experiment (neutron lab angles θ₁ = +30°, θ₂ = −80°, and E_np ? 500 keV) about 2860 events were recorded. The analysis has been done by exact solutions of the Faddeev equations with separable potentials: the Amado model was extended using the Yamaguchi potential with charge-independent (a_nm = a_np) and with charge-dependent (a_nn = −16 fm, a_np = −23.7 fm) parameters. The results are: (a) the charge-independent (a_nn = −23.7 fm) model seems to give a better fit for the shape of the n-n f.s.i. peak, but (b) the two-nucleon separable potential calculations disagree by a factor ≈ 2 with the absolute cross sections measured for the f.s.i. peaks.     

Detecting cracked rotors using auxiliary harmonic excitation

Cracked rotors are not only important from a practical and economic viewpoint, they also exhibit interesting dynamics. This paper investigates the modelling and analysis of machines with breathing cracks, which open and close due to the self-weight of the rotor, producing a parametric excitation. After reviewing the modelling of cracked rotors, the paper analyses the use of auxiliary excitation of the shaft, often implemented using active magnetic bearings to detect cracks. Applying a sinusoidal excitation generates response frequencies that are combinations of the rotor spin speed and excitation frequency. Previously this system was analysed using multiple scales analysis; this paper suggests an alternative approach based on the harmonic balance method, and validates this approach using simulated and experimental results. Consideration is also given to some issues to enable this approach to become a robust condition monitoring technique for cracked shafts.     

The magnetic spin-reorientation transitions in the RGa (R=rare earth) intermetallic compounds studied by measurements of the hyperfine interactions of the Sn probe atoms

The magnetic and electric hyperfine interactions of the probe nucleus ¹¹⁹Sn on the Ga site of the ferromagnetic rare-earth (R) gallium compounds RGa (R=Pr–Er) have been investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy technique. For all of the compounds, the directions of the magnetic moments of the R³⁺ ions have been determined as a function of temperature in the range from 5 K to T_C. For NdGa, SmGa, HoGa, and ErGa compounds, the magnetic reorientation transitions due to the competition between the exchange interaction and the interaction with crystal field have been investigated. At high temperatures, when the electric interaction dominates, the orientation of the magnetic moments is unambiguously determined by the sign of the quadrupole moment of 4f shell of the R³⁺ ion. With decreasing temperature, the magnetic moments rotate gradually from the bc-plane toward the crystallographic a-axis. In the temperature range 5 K?T<100 K, the ferromagnetic structure of the GdGa compound is noncollinear. At 5 K the magnetic moments of the Gd³⁺ ions point in two distinct directions with respect to the crystallographic a  -axis (_θ1≈30°${\theta }_1\approx 30°$ and _θ2≈60°${\theta }_2\approx 60°$).     

ANALYSIS OF THE RESPONSE OF A CRACKED JEFFCOTT ROTOR TO AXIAL EXCITATION

The coupling of lateral and longitudinal vibrations due to the presence of transverse surface crack in a rotor is explored. Steady state unbalance response of a Jeffcott rotor with a single centrally situated crack subjected to periodic axial impulses is studied. Partial opening of crack is considered and the stress intensity factor at the crack tip is used to decide the extent of crack opening. A crack in a rotor is known to introduce coupling between lateral and longitudinal vibrations. Therefore, lateral vibration response of a cracked rotor to axial impulses is studied in detail. Spectral analysis of response to periodic multiple axial impulses shows the presence of rotor bending natural frequency as well as side bands around impulse excitation frequency and its harmonics due to modulations caused by rotor running frequency. It is concluded that the above approach can prove to be a useful tool in detecting cracks in rotors.     

Impedance spectroscopy of undoped and Cr-doped ZnO gas sensors under different oxygen concentrations

Thin films of undoped and chromium (Cr)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) were synthesized by RF reactive co-sputtering for oxygen gas sensing applications. The prepared films showed a highly c-axis oriented phase with a dominant (0 0 2) peak appeared at a Bragg angle of around 34.13 °, which was lower than that of the standard reference of ZnO powder (34.42 °). The peak shifted to a slightly higher angle with Cr doping. The operating temperature of the ZnO gas sensor was around 350 °C, which shifted to around 250 °C with Cr-doping. The response of the sensor to oxygen gas was enhanced by doping ZnO with 1 at.% Cr. Impedance spectroscopy analysis showed that the resistance due to grain boundaries significantly contributed to the characteristics of the gas sensor.