Synchronous position recovery control for flexible rotors in contact with auxiliary bearings

M Schlotter, P S Keogh

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17 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

This paper details a methology for the active recovery of contact free levitation of a rotor from a state of persistent contact with auxiliary bearings. An analytical method to describe contact dynamics of flexible rotors is presented. It shows that synchronous unbalance forces con cause a rotor to adopt stable contact modes, which are characterized by periodic motion and a fixed contact point in a rotating frame of reference. Based on these observations, a recovery strategy is developed to return the rotor to a contact free state. Compensation forces may be applied by magnetic bearings to reduce the effective synchronous forcing which is driving the contact, so that the rotor can progress to a contact free orbit. It is shown that even in the presence of highly nonlinear contact dynamic effects, a linear finite element rotor model can be used to calculate appropriate influence coefficients. The contact recovery procedure is successfully verified by simulations and measurements on a flexible rotor test facility. Allowable bounds on the phase of the synchronous recovery forces are investigated and limitations of the method are discussed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)550-558
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Vibration and Acoustics: Transactions of the ASME
Volume129
Issue number5
Publication statusPublished - 2007

Bibliographical note

ID number: ISI:000249961000003

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