Rotordynamics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rotor dynamics is a specialized branch of applied mechanics concerned with the
behavior and diagnosis of rotating structures. It is commonly used to analyze the behavior
of structures ranging from jet engines and steam turbines to auto engines and computer
disk storage. At its most basic level rotor dynamics is concerned with one or more
mechanical structures (rotors) supported by bearings and influenced by internal
phenomena that rotate around a single axis. The supporting structure is called a stator. As
the speed of rotation increases the amplitude of vibration often passes through a
maximum that is called a critical speed. This amplitude is commonly excited by
unbalance of the rotating structure; everyday examples include engine balance and tire
balance. If the amplitude of vibration at these critical speeds is excessive then
catastrophic failure occurs. In addition to this, turbo machinery often develop instabilities
which are related to the internal makeup of turbo machinery, and which must be
corrected. This is the chief concern of engineers who design large rotors.
Rotating machinery produces vibrations depending upon the structure of the mechanism
involved in the process. Any faults in the machine can increase or excite the vibration
signatures. Vibration behavior of the machine due to imbalance is one of the main aspects
of rotating machinery which must be studied in detail and considered while designing.
All objects including rotating machinery exhibit natural frequency depending on the
structure of the object. The critical speed of a rotating machine occurs when the rotational
speed matches its natural frequency. The lowest speed at which the natural frequency is
first encountered is called the first critical speed, but as the speed increases additional
critical speeds are seen. Hence, minimizing rotational unbalance and unnecessary
external forces are very important to reducing the overall forces which initiate resonance.
When the vibration is in resonance it creates a destructive energy which should be the
main concern when designing a rotating machine. The objective here should be to avoid
operations that are close to the critical and pass safely through them when in acceleration
or deceleration. If this aspect is ignored it might result in loss of the equipment, excessive
wear and tear on the machinery, catastrophic breakage beyond repair or even human
injury and loss of lives.
The real dynamics of the machine is difficult to model theoretically. The calculations are
based on simplified models which resemble various structural components (lumped
parameters models), equations obtained from solving models numerically (RayleighRitz
method) and finally from the finite element method (FEM), which is another approach for
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modelling and analysis of the machine for natural frequencies. On any machine prototype
it is tested to confirm the precise frequencies of resonance and then redesigned to assure
that resonance does not occur.
Contents
1 Basic principles
2 Campbell diagram
3 Jeffcott rotor
4 History
5 Software
6 See also
7 References
Basic principles
The equation of motion, in generalized matrix form, for an axially symmetric rotor
rotating at a constant spin speed is
where:
M is the symmetric Mass matrix
C is the symmetric damping matrix
G is the skew-symmetric gyroscopic matrix
K is the symmetric bearing or seal stiffness matrix
N is the gyroscopic matrix of deflection for inclusion of e.g., centrifugal elements.
in which q is the generalized coordinates of the rotor in inertial coordinates and f is a
forcing function, usually including the unbalance.
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Campbell Diagram for a Simple Rotor
The gyroscopic matrix G is proportional to spin speed . The general solution to the
above equation involves complex eigenvectors which are spin speed dependent.
Engineering specialists in this field rely on the Campbell Diagram to explore these
solutions.
An interesting feature of the rotordynamic system of equations are the off-diagonal terms
of stiffness, damping, and mass. These terms are called cross-coupled stiffness, cross-
coupled damping, and cross-coupled mass. When there is a positive cross-coupled
stiffness, a deflection will cause a reaction force opposite the direction of deflection to
react the load, and also a reaction force in the direction of positive whirl. If this force is
large enough compared with the available direct damping and stiffness, the rotor will be
unstable. When a rotor is unstable it will typically require immediate shutdown of the
machine to avoid catastrophic failure.
Campbell diagram
The Campbell diagram, also known as
"Whirl Speed Map" or a "Frequency
Interference Diagram", of a simple rotor
system is shown on the right. The pink and
blue curves show the backward whirl (BW)
and forward whirl (FW) modes,
respectively, which diverge as the spin
speed increases. When the BW frequency or
the FW frequency equal the spin speed ,
indicated by the intersections A and B with
the synchronous spin speed line, the
response of the rotor may show a peak. This
is called a critical speed.
Jeffcott rotor
The Jeffcott rotor (named after Henry Homan Jeffcott), also known as the de Laval rotor
in Europe, is a simplified lumped parameter model used to solve these equations. The
Jeffcott rotor is a mathematical idealization that may not reflect actual rotor mechanics.
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History
The history of rotordynamics is replete with the interplay of theory and practice. W. J. M.
Rankine first performed an analysis of a spinning shaft in 1869, but his model was not
adequate and he predicted that supercritical speeds could not be attained. In 1895
Dunkerley published an experimental paper describing supercritical speeds. Gustaf de
Laval, a Swedish engineer, ran a steam turbine to supercritical speeds in 1889, and Kerr
published a paper showing experimental evidence of a second critical speed in 1916.
Henry Jeffcott was commissioned by the Royal Society of London to resolve the conflict
between theory and practice. He published a paper now considered classic in the
Philosophical Magazine in 1919 in which he confirmed the existence of stable
supercritical speeds. August Fppl published much the same conclusions in 1895, but
history largely ignored his work.
Between the work of Jeffcott and the start of World War II there was much work in the
area of instabilities and modeling techniques culminating in the work of Prohl and Nils
Otto Myklestad which led to the transfer matrix method (TMM) for analyzing rotors. The
most prevalent method used today for rotordynamics analysis is the finite element
method.
Modern computer models have been commented on in a quote attributed to Dara Childs,
"the quality of predictions from a computer code has more to do with the soundness of
the basic model and the physical insight of the analyst. ... Superior algorithms or
computer codes will not cure bad models or a lack of engineering judgment."
Prof. F. Nelson has written extensively on the history of rotordynamics and most of this
section is based on his work.
Software
There are many software packages that are capable of solving the rotor dynamic system
of equations. Rotor dynamic specific codes are more versatile for design purposes. These
codes make it easy to add bearing coefficients, side loads, and many other items only a
rotordynamicist would need. The non-rotor dynamic specific codes are full featured FEA
solvers, and have many years of development in their solving techniques. The non-rotor
dynamic specific codes can also be used to calibrate a code designed for rotor dynamics.
Rotordynamic specific codes:
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SAMCEF ROTOR,(SAMCEF (http://www.lmsintl.com/rotor-dynamics)) - Software
Platform for Rotors Simulation (LMS Samtech,A Siemens Business)

MADYN (Consulting engineers Klement (http://www.madyn.com)) - Commercial

combined finite element lateral, torsional, axial and coupled solver for multiple
rotors and gears, including foundation and housing.

MADYN 2000 (DELTA JS Inc. (http://www.delta-js.ch/english/software/madyn-

2000-for-rotordynamics/rotordynamic-software-madyn-2000.html)) - Commercial
combined finite element (3D Timoshenko beam) lateral, torsional, axial and coupled
solver for multiple rotors and gears, foundations, various bearings (fluid film, spring
damper, magnetic, rolling element)

iSTRDYN (DynaTech Software LLC (http://www.istrdyn.com)) - Commercial 2-D

Axis-symmetric finite element solver

FEMRDYN (DynaTech Engineering, Inc. (http://dynatechengr.com/femrdyn.htm)) -

Commercial 1-D Axis-symmetric finite element solver

Dyrobes (Eigen Technologies, Inc. (http://www.dyrobes.com)) - Commercial 1-D

beam element solver

RIMAP (RITEC (http://ritec-

eg.com/Products/RITEC/RIMAP_Rotordynamic_Analysis_Software_Package.html)
- Commercial 1-D beam element solver

XLRotor (Rotating Machinery Analysis, Inc. (http://www.xlrotor.com)) -

Commercial 1-D beam element solver. It provides powerful, fast and accurate tool
to perform rotor dynamic modeling and analysis.

ARMD (Rotor Bearing Technology & Software, Inc. (http://www.rbts.com)) -

Commercial 1-D beam element solver

XLTRC2 (Texas A&M (http://turbolab.tamu.edu)) - Academic 1-D beam element

solver

ComboRotor (University of Virginia (http://www.virginia.edu/romac/)) - Combined

finite element lateral, torsional, axial solver for multiple rotors evaluating critical
speeds, stability and unbalance response extensively verified by industrial use

Dynamics R4 (Alfa-Tranzit Co. Ltd (http://www.alfatran.com)) - Commercial

software developed for design and analysis of spatial systems

MESWIR (Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery, Polish Academy of Sciences

(http://www.imp.gda.pl/index_a.html)) - Academic computer code package for
analysis of rotor-bearing systems whithin the linear and non-linear range

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RoDAP (D&M Technology (http://www.dnmco.com)) - Commercial lateral,
torsional, axial and coupled solver for multiple rotors, gears and flexible disks
(HDD)

ROTORINSA (ROTORINSA (http://rotorinsa.insa-lyon.fr/index.php?

sel_lang=english)) - Commercial finite element software developed by a French
engineering school (INSA-Lyon) for analysis of steady-state dynamic behavior of
rotors in bending.

Non-rotordynamic specific codes:

Ansys - Version 11 workbench and classic is capable of solving the rotordynamic
equations (3-D/2-D and beam element)

Nastran - Finite element based (3-D/2-D and beam element)

SAMCEF - Finite element based (3-D/2-D and beam element)
See also
Axle
Balancing machine
Bearing (mechanical)
Driveshaft
Exoskeletal engine
Magnetic bearing
Turbine
Rotordynamic Analysis using XLRotor (http://spectraquest.com/technote_display/?
technote_id=29#)

References
Chen, W. J., Gunter, E. J. (2005). Introduction to Dynamics of Rotor-Bearing
Systems. Victoria, BC: Trafford. ISBN 1-4120-5190-8. uses DyRoBeS

Childs, D. (1993). Turbomachinery Rotordynamics Phenomena, Modeling, &

Analysis. Wiley. ISBN 0-471-53840-X.

Fredric F. Ehrich (Editor) (1992). Handbook of Rotordynamics. McGraw-Hill.

ISBN 978-0-07-019330-7.

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Genta, G. (2005). Dynamics of Rotating Systems. Springer. ISBN 978-0-387-20936-
4.

Jeffcott, H. H. (1919). "The Lateral Vibration Loaded Shafts in the Neighborhood of

a Whirling Speed. - The Effect of Want of Balance". Philosophical Magazine. 6 37.

Krmer, E. (1993). Dynamics of Rotors and Foundations. Springer-Verlag. ISBN 0-

387-55725-3.

Lalanne, M., Ferraris, G. (1998). Rotordynamics Prediction in Engineering, Second

Edition. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-97288-4.

Muszyska, Agnieszka (2005). Rotordynamics. CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8247-2399

-6.

Nelson, F. (June 2003). "A Brief History of Early Rotor Dynamics". Sound and
Vibration.

Nelson, F. (July 2007). "Rotordynamics without Equations". International Journal

of COMADEM. 3 10. ISSN 1363-7681 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1363-7681).

Nelson, F. (2011). An Introduction to Rotordynamics. SVM-19 [1]

(http://www.savecenter.org/Products.html).

Lalanne, M., Ferraris, G. (1998). Rotordynamics Prediction in Engineering, Second

Edition. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-97288-4.

Vance, John M. (1988). Rotordynamics of Turbomachinery. Wiley. ISBN 0-471-

80258-1.

Yamamoto, T., Ishida, Y. (2001). Linear and Nonlinear Rotordynamics. Wiley.

ISBN 978-0-471-18175-0.

Ganeriwala, S., Mohsen N (2008). Rotordynamic Analysis using XLRotor. SQI03-

02800-0811 (http://spectraquest.com/technote_display/?technote_id=29)

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Categories: Dynamics
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