Dynamic Response of an Axially Moving Beam Coupled to Hydrodynamic Bearings

The vibration response of a distributed axially moving beam, controlled through distributed hydrodynamic bearing forces, is analyzed by the transfer function method. In the axially moving beam, all modes are affected by the distributed bearing coupling. The bearing force is described in terms of impedance functions. An approximate closed-form transfer function for the coupled beam-bearing system is derived. The transfer function is applicable to all linear, one-dimensional, coupled systems, and it is exact for localized, linear constraint forces. The derivation requires knowledge of the transfer function of the axially moving beam which is not available in the literature. A method for determining the beam transfer function is also presented. The frequency response of the coupled system is illustrated for several beam and bearing design parameters.