Vol. 2 No. 3 Sep.

1998

JOURNAL OF SHANGHAI UNIVERSITY

Analysis on Stiffness and Damping Performance of Active Magnetic Bearing System

Wang Xiping Yu Liang Wan Jingui Cui W e i d o n g

(Shanghai University)
Abstract

(Xian Jiaotong University)

The relations of the stiffness and damping performance to the structure parameters of an active magnetic bearing (AMB) system and the frequency specificity of the control loop are analyzed. The effects of the control current phase on the stability, the stiffness and the damping properties of the system are presented. Meanwhile, a new concept of complex damping coefficient, the practical meanings of some system properties, and the calculation methods are discussed and described. Key words AMB system, complex stiffness coefficient, complex damping coefficient, controller, frequency specificity 108000r/min, and active stiffness close to 107N/m, it is proved that the stiffness and the frequency response performances of the system controller are closely interrelated, among which the biggest influence is the bandwidth of the controller Es'6]. Therefore one way for investigating the system's active stiffness is to analyze the frequency response performance of the controller. This paper deals with the relations of the stiffness and damping performance to the structure parameters of an active magnetic bearing (AMB) system and the frequency specificity of the control loop. The effects of the control current phase on the stability, the stiffness and the damping properties of the system are also presented. Meanwhile, a new concept of complex damping coefficient, the practical meanings of some system properties, and the calculation methods are discussed and described.

Introduction

To have proper stiffness and damping is an essential condition for an active magnetic bearing system to work normally. The stiffness of active magnetic bearings can be divided into two types:passive stiffness caused by the bearing structure, and active stiffness caused by the system controller performance. Of the two types, the active stiffness is more powerful than the passive one, and therefore is the main source of stiffness for the system. On the contrary, the damping performance of the system is only determined by the controller. In 1980, Haberman and Liard presented that active magnetic bearings have a stiffness curve similar in appearance to a bathtub E~]. This is commonly used as the base for analyzing the stiffness and damping performance of active magnetic bearings later Ezl. In 1986, Humphris introduced the effective stiffness coefficient and the effective damping coefficient from the closed control loop transfer function of the system E3]. Reference [43 presented a method to estimate the stiffness by measuring the proportion of the system control current. The difficulty in the method is to estimate the amount of current. In our experiment, with a turbo oxide expander having a 1.16kg weight shaft, a speed approaching Received Dec.26,1997 Wang Xiping, Asso.Prof. , School of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Shanghai University, 149 Yanchang Road, Shanghai 200072

Construction and Principles of Considered System

The construction of the active magnetic bearing system can be described by a one-degree-of-freedom levitated system in which the shaft is supported by magnetic bearings (see Fig. 1). The center of the shaft is controlled precisely by the system controller including a displacement sensor with transformer, a regulator and a pair of power amplifiers. By ignoring the magnetic reluctance of the core material and the gravity of the shaft, the motion function of the rotor center can be expressed as follows

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Journal o f Shanghai University

sensor ]_ d transformer~ u, "1 "!

magnet

electro-

[ ~/
I 1 I

,_u_l / I

displacement sensor ] ! |l

~F,I I]
I,

I [

._____~, ~ 1' '

_.2)
I x

magnet

=1 1
I- 7

Fig.1 Schematic diagram of one-degree-of-freedommagnetic levitated

system

mx"=F1 --F2 q-fx = l-toSoNz Io--ic ] z loq-i~ l z 4 [(xo--x/--(xo+x) ]+f~,

(1)

agram of the closed loop transfer function is shown in 1 Fig. 2. In Fig. 2, Go(s)--msZ c--,H(s)=CzG(s), where G(s) is the overall transfer function including those of the displacement sensitive circuit,the regulator and the power amplifiers. According to Eq. ( 2 ) , the essential condition for the stability of the system is that the controller needs to include units of proportioner and differentiator. In practice, a PID regulator is used.

where m is the mass of the rotor corresponding to one bearing, So the section area of the air clearance ,Io the bias current of a coil, and i~ the control current of a coil corresponding to the displacement x. Considering the actual work condition, Eq. (1) may be linearized near the balancing point of the system mx"=Clx--C~i~+f~, (2) where C1

tzoSoNZI2o
x3

and Cz

tzoSoN2I o xZ are the dis-

Theoretical and Damping

Analysis

on Stiffness

placement stiffness coefficient and the current stiffness coefficient of the system respectively, fx the disturbing force on the shaft.

From Fig. 2, the ratio of the input signal to the output signal has the dimension of stiffness:

(4) When G(s) is the transfer function of a standard PID regulator,i, e. G(s)=Kp+Ki-+-Kas,the curve of
S
/-/(s)

F=(s) l+Go(s)H(s) Kv(s) :X-(-s5 = Go(s) =ms 2-C1 +C2G(s).

Fig. 2 Schematic diagram of closed loop transition function of system If mutual conductance power amplifiers are used, there exists no relationship between the transfer function and the characteristic of the system load,the amplifier output current ic is proportional to the input voltage uc,

[Kv[ looks like a bathtub (see Fig. 3). Under the action of disturbing force, Kv changes not only in amplitude ,but also in phase with respect to the frequency of the disturbing force. This is the reason for calling Kv the complex stiffness of the system. Set s =
jw, we abtain

X(jo~) =

F(jw) (5) (CzKp --C1 --mw 2) + j C 2 (~Ka - - K~ )" 03

ic=Auc,

(3)

Compared with the frequency response equation of a second order mechanical system

where X is the mutual conductance. Based on the foregoing equations,the schematic di-

x(w)-- (K_moJZ)+jwC ,

f(o)

(6)

Vol. 2 No. 3 Sep. 1998

Wang X. : Analysison Stiffness and Damping Performance... stiffness,and denoted by Kin, K~ lira 1 1 ,-0 x ( t ) - - l i m x ( t )
t~0

223

we conclude that the term corresponding to K is the effective stiffness coefficient, and the one corresponding to C is the effective damping coefficient.

K,=CzKp--C1, Ce=C2 ( eoKd--Ki ). OJ

(7)
(8)

limsX (s ) --!im (ms+C2Kd) .

(15)

As a general rule,the effective stiffness coefficient of an active magnetic bearing system can be expressed
as

K, =C2Re {G(jw) }--C1, and the effective damping coefficient

(9) (10)

C,=C2 Im {G(flo) },
O3

where Re {G (jo~) } and Im {G (rio) } are the real part and the imaginary part of G(jo~) ,respectively.

3. 1

Relationship between electromagnetic force and phase of displacement signal

The relationship between the electromagnetic force F and the transfer function G(j~) is

F=C1X--CzG(jw)X=
{[-C1--C2Re {G (rio) }]--jC2 Im {G(jw) } }X, so the phase difference between the electromagnetic force F and the displacement x is

~oF-~-tg-1 [

C2 Re{G(fio) }--C1J=tg-1

C2Im{G(Jw)}

(--~e).WCe (11)

According to the above equation, the capability of instantaneous position-setting depends on the mass of the rotor (inertia stiffness), the acting time (the rate) of the disturbing force,the current stiffness coefficient, and the unit of the integrator of the system. In the limited band (determined by the time constants of the controller), the instantaneous position of the rotor is determined mainly by the unit of the integrator. (3) In an active magnetic bearing system,the loading capability of the bearing is limited by the geometrical dimensions, the magnetic permeability of the core ,the parameters of the winding and the maximal current supplied by the controller. Under the condition of no saturation for the intensity of magnetization in the core, a unit step disturbing force acting on the rotor, and zero static position error, the following is the equation of the maximal instantaneous linear magnetic force acting on the rotor supplied by the differential magnets, Fzma~-- tlSNHI _-2-7 0= C 2I 0
T o

On the basis of the stability requirement of a mechanical system,q~ must satisfy the following inequality

(16)

< ~<~ 3. 2

(12)

Analysis on performances of special stiffness coefficients

(1) Ks is the static stiffness and is defined as the static error of the displacement as t - - ~ during a unit step disturbing force on the rotor,
1 1

By the levitating foree of the bearing system we mean the force capable of setting the rotor from the position of free state to the position of balanced state for the bearing. When reverse current in the coils is restrained, the maximal levitating force is

Fv ,~x-- I1SN2I " 4x2o z .... ,

where i . . . . is the maximal instantaneous control current that the system can supply.

--limx(t)
t~

limX(s) "
s~O

(13)

This means that in the presence of an integrator, the static error of the displacement reaches zero. Without the integrator,the result would be K~=C2Kp--C1 (14) The static stiffness K, represents only the capability for static position-setting of the rotor, but is not means of the analysis on the dynamics of the system. (2) When a unit step disturbing force acts on the rotor and t--~0, the instantaneous position error of the rotor center can be defined as the instantaneous

3. 3

Analysis on performance of damping and resonance frequency of system

Suppose that K ( t ) is the complex stiffness related to a given frequency and within limited time,the active damping equation can be expressed as
t

C=fK(t)dt,
0

according to Eq. (4),the damping is

Cv(s) =msq

C2G(s) --C]
$

(17)

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Journal o f Shanghai University

/
CVK,--CI
I I t I

If o~----oo0=~., s o that (22) both coefficients of the complex stiffness and complex damping are zero. This means that the oscillation at frequency ~ appears. Here, co is called the undamped resonance frequency of active magnetic bearing system. To sum up, the meaning of the bathtub curve (see Fig. 3) is the border curve of the frequency response of the system including the perfomances of the inertia mass, the stiffness and the damping. And the bottom point on the curve corresponds to the position of the undamped resonance frequency of the system.

(C2Kp--C1) Ka=mKi ,

'!

Fig. 3 Bathtub-like complex stiffness

curve of system This equation indicates that the damping is also a function of frequency, therefore called complex damping and denoted by Cv. Generally,the complex damping can be described as

3. 4

SampLe calculation

C~(jca)= C2Im{G(jw) } ~-j(mw-ca

The parameters of the journal active magnetic bearing used in the experiment are C~ = 1.74 X 106 N / m , C2 -----522. 27N/A, m = 3kg, and the transfer function is described as G ( s ) = 105 (1 + 0 . 0044s)

C2Re {G(jca) } --C~ ).

tO

(18)

From analyzing Eq. (18), we conclude that the real part is the effective damping coefficient, and the imaginary part is the effective inertia mass whose phase is the same as that of the acceleration rate. When G(s) is based on the standard form of a PID regulator, C~ has the form

(0. 0125s2 + 7 . 3 8 s + l ) / s ( l + 3 . 18 X 10-Ss) (5.8 1 0 - 5 s + 3 . 6 9 ) ( 5 . 4 X 1 0 - 3 s 2 + 3 4 1 . 5 5 s + 1 ) . Based on the above analysis, the curves of IKv I, ICy I , K , and C, and the curves of the amplitude and phase against frequency are shown in Figs. 4 and 5, respectively. The calculated result of ca0 is 8. 99tad (1.43Hz), ca. is 5848rad (930Hz) ,and % is about 31416rad (5000Hz). As to, goes beyond the range of the working frequency, it has no effect upon the stability of the system. The curve of complex damping looks like the letter V with a valley near tOo.

C~(jca)=C2(Ka---~)+j(mtO

C2Kp--C1).ca

(19)

From the above equation, we abtain the characteristic frequency ca. of the system

IC Kp--C
m

'

(2o5

Experiment fness

on Performance

of Stif-

and the natural frequency of the system ca0= C K ~- . (21)

The purpose of the experiment is to test the performance of stiffness against frequency of the

I0 ~
I0 ~

" 20

10s~ Z
I01 X

10

l(0 I

9O

I0 ) 10*
N I0)
X ~t

"ot\
Ioo

/
i , ,

s ~' 10 .~ 101 , , 10-s 10-t 10-t

t

--10~ ..

)i-/
lOo lOz
t l0 t i lOs --9O 10 4

10 0

10z 10I

lO s

10 4

10) ~ ' --20

9oLd|

frequency (Hz)
Fig. 4 Curves of

lO-a lO-t i0-~

IKvl, ICv l ,Ke and

C, of system

Fig. S

Curves of amplitude and phase vs. frequency of system

Vol. 2 No. 3 Sep. 1998

Wang X. :

Analysis on Stiffness and Damping Performance...

225

system. The procedure is to apply a sine disturbing force with a fixed frequency on the rotor supported stably by an active journal magnetic bearing, and t h e n , t h r o u g h measuring the displacement of the rotor by an eddy-current sensor to make the magnets to produce the balancing magnetic force on the rotor. T h e ratio of the force to the displacement is the value of the stiffness at the frequency. This frequency can be considered as the whirl speed of the rotor. The test is based on the one-degree-of-freedom levitation. Fig. 6 shows the schematic diagram of the test rig s y s t e m , a n d Fig. 7 is the test curves of stiffness vs. frequency of the system. These curves indicate the above performances of the stiffness and the damping of the system.
test

E
t signal inverter i ~]displ~.emcm sensor rotor
i power amplifier H
10 8
regulator

oseitloscOl~W

Fig. 6 Schematic diagram of test rig system

testl4
10 4

Conclusions
Both the stiffness and the damping of the active

z
~

magnetic bearing system are complex functions of frequency. The complex stiffness includes the effect of the damping of the s y s t e m , and the complex damping includes the effect of acceleration. Meanwhile, both the complex stiffness and the damping depend not only on the structure of the s y s t e m , but also closely on the transfer function of the controller. To select proper parameters of the transfer function, the required stiffness and damping of the system should be obtained so that the system works well. In this paper, cross stiffness and cross damping of the s y s t e m , and the flexible rotor and its gyroscopic effect either are not cousidered.

x lOs'

I01

, ,

10 o

I0 ~

lO s

lO s

~cqu~ncy(l-k)

Fig. 7

Test curves of stiffness vs. frequency of system

References
Haberman H. , Liard G. L. , An active magnetic bearing system, Tribology International, 1980 ..85 ~ 89 2 Chen Yixin, Yang Hengmin and Hu Yefa, CAD on the control system for thrust magnetic bearings, Machine Tools and Hydraulics, 1988 (3) : 8~ 16 (in Chinese) 3 Humphris R. R. , Kelm R. D. , Lewis D.W. and Allaire P. 1

E. , Effect of control algorithms on magnetic journal bearing properties, Journal o f Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, Transactions o f A S M E , 108 : 624~ 632 (1986) 4 Wang Hongli and Wu Zhiqiang, Analysis of electromagnetic force and study on stiffness for magnetic bearings, Journal o f Tianjin University, 1992 (4) : 15 ~ 20 (in Chinese) 5 Wang Xiping, Parametric Design and Application Investigation of Electro-Magnetic Bearing System, Doctoral Dissertation, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an China, 1994 (in Chinese ) 6 Budig P.K. and Wrner R. , Stiffness of magnetic bearings, Proc. o f 4th Int. Syrup. on Magnetic Bearings, Switzerland,1994.. 251 ~256