Rotordynamics with ANSYS

Mechanical Solutions

Pierre THIEFFRY
Product Manager
ANSYS, Inc.

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 Agenda

• General features

• Generalized axisymmetric element

• Rotordynamics with ANSYS Workbench

– An ANSYS V12.0 example
– Future plans

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 General features

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 Rotordynamics features

• Pre-processing:
– Appropriate element formulation for all geometries
– Gyroscopic moments generated by rotating parts
– Bearings
– Rotor imbalance and other excitation forces (synchronous and
asynchronous)
– Rotational velocities
– Structural damping

• Solution:
– Complex eigensolver for modal analysis
– Harmonic analysis
– Transient analysis

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 Rotordynamics features

• Post-processing
– Campbell diagrams
– Orbit plots
– Mode animation
– Transient plots and animations

• User’s guide

• Advanced features:
– Component Mode Synthesis for static parts

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 Appropriate element formulation

• The following elements are supported for rotordynamics

analysis (stationary reference frame):

Mass MASS21
Beam BEAM4, PIPE16
New in BEAM188, BEAM189
ANSYS PIPE 288/289
12.0 Solid SOLID45, SOLID95
SOLID185, SOLID186,
SOLID187
Shell SHELL63
SHELL181, SHELL281
New in General
ANSYS axisymmetric SOLID272, SOLID273
12.0 elements

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 Generalized axisymmetric element

• The new 272/273 elements:

• Are computationally efficient
when compared to 3D solid 2D axisymmetric mesh
• Support 3D non-axisymmetric
loading
• Allow a very fast setup of
axisymmetric 3D parts: 3D representation
• Slice an axisymmetric 3D CAD
geometry to get planar model
• Mesh with 272/273 elements
• No need to calculate equivalent
beam sections
• Can be combined with full 3D
models, including contact

3D results (not necessarily axisymmetric)

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 Bearings

• 2D spring/damper with cross-coupling terms:

– Real constants are stiffness and damping
coefficients and can vary with spin velocity w

• Bearing element choice depends on:

– Shape (1D, 2D, 3D)
– Cross terms
– Nonlinearities Nonlinear stiffness
Stiffness and Damping
Description and damping
cross terms
characteristics

Uniaxial
COMBIN14 No No
spring/damper

Function of the
COMBI214 2-D spring/damper Unsymmetric
rotational velocity

General stiffness or
MATRIX27 Unsymmetric No
damping matrix

Symmetric for linear

Multipoint constraint Function of the
MPC184 characteristics - None for
element displacement
nonlinear characteristics

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 Imbalance and other excitation
forces

• Possible excitations caused by

rotation velocity  are:
– Unbalance () Fz
– Coupling misalignment (2* )
z Fb  mr2  F02
– Blade, vane, nozzle, diffusers
(s* ) m
– Aerodynamic excitations as in r
centrifugal compressors (0.5* t
) y
Fy
• Input made as a force on the
model

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 Rotating damping

• Considered if the rotating

structure has:
• structural damping (MP, Damper COMBI214
DAMP or BETAD)
Beam BEAM4, PIPE16
• or a localized rotating
BEAM188, BEAM189
viscous damper (bearing) Solid SOLID45, SOLID95
SOLID185, SOLID186,
• The damping forces can induce SOLID187
General SOLID272, SOLID273
unstable vibrations.
axisymmetric (new in V 12.0 )

• The rotating damping effect is

Elements supporting rotating damping
activated along with the Coriolis
effect (CORIOLIS command).

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 Campbell diagrams & whirl

• Variation of the rotor natural

frequencies with respect to
rotor speed w

• In modal analysis perform

multiple load steps at
different angular velocities
w

• As frequencies split with

increasing spin velocity,
ANSYS identifies:
– forward (FW) and
backward (BW) whirl
– stable / unstable
operation
– critical speeds

• Also available for multispool

models

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 Orbit plots

• In a plane perpendicular to the

spin axis, the orbit of a node is
an ellipse

• It is defined by three
characteristics: semi axes A , B
and phase y in a local
coordinate system (x, y, z)
where x is the rotation axis

• Angle j is the initial position of

the node with respect to the
major semi-axis A.

• Orbit plots are available for

beam models
PRINT ORBITS FROM NODAL SOLUTION
LOCAL y AXIS OF ORBITS IN GLOBAL COORDINATES
0.0000E+00 0.1000E+01 0.0000E+00

LOAD STEP= 1 SUBSTEP= 4

RFRQ= 0.0000 IFRQ= 2.5606 LOAD CASE= 0
ORBIT

NODE A B PSI PHI ymax zmax

1 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
2 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
3 0.38232 0.38232 0.0000 0.0000 0.38232 0.38232
4 0.70711 0.70711 0.0000 0.0000 0.70711 0.70711
5 0.92301 0.92301 0.0000 0.0000 0.92301 0.92301

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 Rotordynamics analysis guide

• New at release
12.0

• Provides a
detailed
description of
capabilities

• Provides
guidelines for
rotordynamics
model setup

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 Sample models available

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 Generalized axisymmetric element

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 New Element Technology
B
General Axi-symmetric Element: 272/273
 3D elements generated based on 2D mesh
LY’ Z’
 Boundary conditions applied in 3D space
Structural Mechanics

 Nonlinearities, Node to surface contact X’

I
A J
Benefits
 Multiple Axis can be defined in any direction
 Take advantage of axi-symmetry but
deformation is general in 3D
 1 element in Θ (hoop) direction

3D view of shaft
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 Application to rotordynamics

• The new 272/273 elements:

• Are computationally efficient
when compared to 3D solid 2D axisymmetric mesh
• Support rotordynamics
analysis
• Support 3D non-axisymmetric
loading 3D representation
• Allow a very fast setup of
axisymmetric 3D parts:
• Slice an axisymmetric 3D CAD
geometry to get planar model
• Mesh with 272/273 elements
• No need to calculate equivalent
beam sections
• Can be combined with full 3D
models, including contact
3D results (not necessarily axisymmetric)
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 Rotordynamics with ANSYS
Workbench
An example

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 Storyboard

• The geometry is provided in form of a

Parasolid file
• Part of the shaft must be reparametrized to
allow for diameter variations
• A disk must be added to the geometry
• Simulation will be performed using the
generalized axisymmetric elements, mixing
WB features and APDL scripting
• Design analysis will be made with variations
of bearings properties and geometry
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 Project view

• Upper part of the schematics

defines the simulation
process (geometry to mesh to
simulation)

• Parameters of the model are

gathered in one location
(geometry, bearing stiffness)

• Lower part of the schematics

contains the design
exploration tools

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 Geometry setup

• Geometry is
imported in Design
Modeler
• A part of the shaft
is redesigned with
parametric
dimensions
Initial 3D geometry
• Model is sliced to
be used with
Final axisymmetric model
axisymmetric
elements
• Bearing locations Additional disk

are defined
• A disc is added to
the geometry

Bearings location

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 Geometry details

3D Model sliced to create

axisymmetric model
Part of the original shaft is
removed and recreated with
parametric radius

Additional disk created with

parameters (the outer diameter Bearing locations and named selections are created (named
will be used for design analysis) selections will be transferred as node components for the simulation)
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 Mesh

• The model
is meshed
using the
WB meshing
tools

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 Simulation

• Simulation is
Axisymmetric model
performed using an with boundary
APDL script that conditions
defines:
– Element types
– Bearings
– Boundary
conditions
– Solutions settings
(Qrdamp solver…)
– Post-processing
(Campbell plots
and extraction of
critical speeds)

Expanded view

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 APDL script

Mesh transferred as
mesh200 elements,
converted to
solid272

Spring1 component
comes from named
selection

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 Simulation results

• The APDL scripts

can create plots
and animations
• The results can
also be analyzed
within the
Mechanical APDL
interface
• Results are
extracted using
*get commands
and exposed as
WB parameters
(showing the
performance of
the design)

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 Mode animation (expanded view)

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 Design exploration

• The model has 2 geometry

parameters (disc and shaft
radius) as well as a stiffness
parameters (bearings stiffness)

• 4 output parameters are

investigated: first and second
critical speeds at 2xRPM and
4xRPM (obtained from
theCampbell diagrams and
*get commands)

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 Sample results

• A response surface of Sensitivity plots:

the bearing
the model is created stiffness has no
influence on the
using a Design of first and second
Experiments critical speeds, the
disc radius is the
key parameter

• Curves, surfaces and

sensitivity plots are
created and the design
can be investigated
Evolution of critical
speed with shaft
• Optimization tools are and disc radius
also available

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 Optimization

• A multi-
objective
optimization is
described and
possible
candidates are
found (usually,
there are
multiple
acceptable
configurations)

• Trade-off plots
give an
indication about
the achievable
performance

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 Future plans (V13 and beyond)

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 Campbell diagrams

Multiple steps (modal)

X axis is rotational
Rotational velocity velocity
scoped on
bodies( (multispool
analysis) available in Output
modal analysis Quantities:frequencies or
stability values
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 Additional enhancements

• Provide modal solver choice (QRDAMP, LANB…)

• The connection folder hosting bearings:

– Location
– Damping and stiffness (as functions of w)

• Coriolis option available from the Analysis settings

(like the large deflection or inertia relief)

• Orbit plots for beam models

• Exposure of generalized axisymmetric elements

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 Modal post-processing (already
available at V12)

Complex eigenshapes

Mode animation similar to

ANHARM

For complex modes, tabular data display both

imaginary and real parts
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 Results parameterization

• The user will probably want to be able to

parameterize frequencies (real and/or
imaginary part) but also the critical
frequencies (from Campbell results)

• Doing so, he will be able to perform DX

analyses :
– to examine the variations of critical
frequencies
– To examine the evolution of the stability of a
mode wrt various parameters
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