Correlation Analysis and Its Application on an Asymmetry Rotor Structure with Overhang

Overhung rotors are widely used in the industrial field. However, compared with normal structure rotors, the prediction and control of overhung rotors cannot achieve good performance. The work aims to investigate the dynamical behaviours of an overhung rotor by means of correlation analysis, and find its possible application. In this work, based on a real type of rotor, the dynamic model of the rotor with overhang is established by means of the finite element method. Simulation of the dynamic model with different input positions and support stiffnesses is conducted. Based on the methodology of correlation analysis, by introducing a correlation parameter of a proportion of amplitude of measured signal and imbalance mass, the position which has most effect on the vibration is found. Meanwhile, an experiment on the same type of overhung rotor is carried out to validate the results. The numerical results and corresponding experimental results prove that the overhung node has the most effect on the vibration amplitudes of the measured points. Choosing the overhung node to add trial weight, the overhung rotor can be easily balanced. The theory provides an alternative approach to modal analysis which needs more knowledge of the system.

Vibration Reduction of an Overhung Rotor Supported by an Active Magnetic Bearing Using a Decoupling Control System

Overhung rotors are important for use in industrial turbo-machines. The effects of a lateral force can increase as a result of the rotor weight, misalignment, or the operating speed of the suspension system for which the rotor is carrying a transmission connection. In this paper, the reduction of vibration in supported lateral directions by varying control is discussed in a radial active magnetic bearing system (AMBS). An experimental test was conducted on the orbital response of an overhung rotor supported by an AMBS, to provide an alternative for improving precision. To simplify the system design, decoupling was achieved using a PID controller and harmonic disturbance compensator (HDC), which improved the rotating performance of an overhung active magnetic bearing (AMB) rotor system, using a frequency response function (FRF) approach and a description of the overhung rotor during normal operational conditions at unique frequencies. The experimental results show that the precision rotation, due to harmonic excitation of the shaft orbit, can be removed in real time using compensation signals using trigonometry. The compensation criteria for the changed run-up and coast-down consistently helped to maintain the rotational center in a central position. A reduction of up to 55% in vibration amplitude on average was achieved under appropriate conditions, and the significance of the overhung rotor symptoms faults were investigated.

Double Overhung Disk and Parameter Effect on Rotordynamic Synchronous Instability—Morton Effect—Part I: Theory and Modeling Approach

The Morton effect (ME) is a thermally induced instability problem that most commonly appears in rotating shafts with large overhung masses, outboard of the bearing span. The time-varying thermal bow due to the asymmetric journal temperature distribution may cause intolerable synchronous vibrations that exhibit a hysteresis behavior with respect to rotor speed. The fully nonlinear transient method designed for the ME prediction, in general, overhung rotors is proposed with the capability to perform the thermoelastohydrodynamic analysis for all the bearings and model the rotor thermal bow at both overhung ends with equivalent distributed unbalances. The more accurate nonlinear, coupled, double overhung approach is shown to provide significantly different response prediction relative to the more approximate linear method based using bearing coefficients and the single-overhung method, which assumes that the ME on both rotor ends can be decoupled. The flexibility of the bearing pad and pivot is investigated to demonstrate that the pivot flexibility can significantly affect the rotordynamics and ME, while the rigid pad model is generally a good approximation.

Rotor Dynamics of Overhung Rotors: Hysteretic Dynamic Behavior

Overhung-configuration rotors are commonly used in the oil, gas and process industries. Examples of this type of equipment include power turbines, Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) expanders, turbochargers and pipeline boosters. Generally, in overhung-configuration rotors, the mass concentration is near the bearing on the overhung end, so the rotor dynamics behavior of these overhung-configuration rotors is different than other equipments that have their mass concentrations between the bearing spans, such as multistage compressors. Among the more important characteristics that directly affect the rotor dynamics of the overhung rotors are gyroscopic effects on the higher modes and the fluid-film journal bearings. Gyroscopic effects are more significant in overhung configurations because of the relatively large overhung mass. These rotors also have a short bearing span and a relatively stiff shaft, so the first two modes are characterized by rigid body motion, as long as the bearing supports are rigid, as in most pipeline boosters. For pipeline boosters it would be typical to describe them as subcritical machines. If the bearing supports are not rigid, as at the disc end of power turbines and FCC expanders, then the first mode can be amplified, and it would not be unusual to describe them as supercritical machines. This paper will assume that the bearing supports are rigid, as in most pipeline boosters. A phenomenon observed in overhung rotors is known as the synchronous thermal instability or “Morton Effect”. The Morton Effect occurs when synchronous vibration produces non-uniform heating of the shaft under the bearing, leading the shaft end to develop a thermal bow. It is typical for this to happen on the overhung end of the rotor, where there is more unbalance to react with any thermal bow. The paper examines the hysteretic dynamic behavior observed in an overhung rotor mounted on tilting pad journal bearings, presenting a series of analysis using state-of-the-art rotor dynamics programs, and comparing analytical results with measurements, handling possible variables associated with synchronous “hysteresis” vibration.

Part I—Theoretical Model for a Synchronous Thermal Instability Operating in Overhung Rotors

Atheoretical model has been developed for a synchronous thermal instability that is caused by differential viscous shearing in bearings of overhung rotors. This model employs an unbalance threshold criterion for instability instead of utilizing a traditional frequency-domain stability analysis. The current model will be used to investigate several case studies for both plain and tilting pad journal bearing rotors in the second part of this article.