OIL WHIRL PHENOMENON, DIAGNOSIS & CONTROL

There are many electrical and mechanical forces present in

induction motors that can cause vibrations. Some of
mechanical vibrations are listed below.
a) Resonance vibration at the critical speed of the rotor
b) Self excited vibration in oil lubricated journal
bearings due to oil whirl.
A. Critical Speed Resonance
Resonance vibration at the critical speed of the rotor is the
forced vibration due to an imbalance present in the rotor.
When the rotating speed coincides with the natural frequency
of the rotor system, high vibration occurs as a result of the
resonance. Oil lubricated bearings reduce high vibrations
while rotor is passing through the critical speed. Fig. 3 shows
the typical signature plot of rotor speed v/s vibration
amplitude of an induction motor passing through the critical
speed and can be observed that the amplitude of motion
builds up as the rotor reaches its critical speed and then
decreases once rotor had passed through the critical speed.
The amplitude of the orbit of rotor center grows as the speed
ramps up to the critical speed and then shrinks as it moves
away from the critical speed. Since critical speed resonance
is not self excited vibration the rotor orbit is stable and does
not grow without bounds inside the bearing clearance circle.
Amplitude of vibration during critical speed and operating
speed can be reduced by bearing oil film damping and
precision balancing of the rotor respectively.