Workshop 1

Nelson Vaugh Rotor

14.5 Release

Introduction to ANSYS
Rotordynamics
1 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5
 Goal
Workshop 1 investigates Nelson Vaugh rotor behavior. It is meant to illustrate how to create
Campbell diagram and understand forward whirl and backward whirl.

Problem statement:
Goal is to estimate the natural frequencies and mode shapes between 0 and 100000 rpm,
create Campbell diagram, observe the gyroscopic effect seen due to separation in mode
pairs (forward whirl and backward whirl)

2 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 Project Schematic

Open the Project page

From the Units menu verify:
Project units are set to US Customary (kg, m, s, C, A, N, V).
Display Values in Project Units is checked (on).

3 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 . . . Project Schematic
1. From the Toolbox double click Modal
to create a new system.
1.

2. RMB the Geometry cell and browse

to Nelson_Vaugh_Rotor.agdb.

3. Or if you do not have license to

DesignModeler : RMB the
Geometry cell and browse to
Nelson_Vaugh_Rotor.x_t

2.

4 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 Design Modeler
4. Double click the Geometry cell to open the Design
Modeler application.
4.

Note: Observe that the geometry has been already sliced to

prepare for Analysis

The shaft is divided at the two bearing support locations

using the Slice tool in Design Modeler
The shaft is also sliced at the location where an additional
disk will be mounted (point mass is attached here in
Mechanical)

Additional
5 2013 ANSYS, Inc. disks location Shaft sliced at the bearing locations Release 14.5
 Design Modeler
Note: Three Named Selections are already created for
attaching bearings (two) and remote mass
1. Bearing1 This will be bearing support location 1
2. Bearing2 - This will be bearing support location 2
3. ScopeFace_RemoteMass Face to which Point Mass
is remotely attached

6 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 Preprocessing

5. Double click the Model cell to open the Mechanical 5.

application.

6. Set/check the working Unit System: 6.

Units > Metric (m, kg, N, s, V, A)

7 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 . . . Preprocessing
Note: Named Selections Bearing1 and Bearing2 have been imported from Design
Modeler (These can also be created in Mechanical if needed)

8 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 . . . Preprocessing
7. Additional Disk is modeled as point mass (at the location already sliced in DM)
a. RMB on Geometry and Insert Point Mass

a.

b. Scope the face ScopeFace_PointMass and enter the mass and inertial properties of
the point mass

Mass and Inertia properties

9 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 . . . Preprocessing
Note:
Automatic Bonded connections are created between the interfaces of the bodies

Created Bonded Connections

10 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 . . . Preprocessing
8. RMB on Connections in the Outline window:
a. Insert Bearing
b. Fill in the details as shown below
a.
Create Bearing1

b.

11 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 . . . Preprocessing
9. RMB on Connections in the Outline window:
a. Insert Bearing
b. Fill in the details as shown below

Create Bearing2
a.
b.

12 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 . . . Preprocessing
10. Mesh Settings:
a.
a. Insert Body Sizing as shown
b. Scope all the bodies as shown
c. Set the Element size to 0.005m
d. Mesh>RMB>Generate Mesh

b. c.

13 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 . . . Preprocessing

Resulting Mesh

14 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 Environment
11. Change Analysis Settings (highlight the Modal branch (A5):
a. Click on the Analysis Settings in Outline window
b. Set Max Modes to Find to 12
c. Under solver settings set Damped to Yes
a.
d. Under Rotordynamics Controls set Coriolis Effect to On
and Campbell Diagram to On. Also set Number of point
s to 3. This will allow to solve for 3 different rotational
speeds

b.

c.

d.

15 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 Environment
12. Apply Boundary Conditions (highlight the Modal
branch (A5): a.
a. RMB > Insert > Remote Displacement
b. Change Scoping Method > Named Selection
c. Select Named selection to Bearing1
d. Fix the X component and Rotation X as shown
below

c.

d.
b.

16 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 Environment
13. Apply Boundary Conditions (highlight the Modal branch (A5):
a. Similar to steps shown on previous slide apply Remote
Displacement for Bearing location 2
b. RMB > Insert > Remote Displacement 2

17 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 Environment
14. Apply Boundary Conditions (highlight the Modal branch (A5):
a. Similar to steps shown on previous slide apply Remote Displacement 3 as shown

Scoped edge

18 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 Environment
15. Apply Boundary Conditions (highlight the Modal branch (A5):
a. Similar to steps shown on previous slide apply Remote Displacement 4 as shown

Scoped edge

19 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 Environment
16. Apply Boundary Conditions (highlight the a.
Modal branch (A5):
a. RMB > Insert> Rotational velocity
b. Define by Components
c. Fill the Tabular Data as shown

b.
c.

20 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 Solution
17. RMB on Solution> Insert > Campbell diagram

17.

18. Highlight the Solution branch (A6) and Solve

18.

21 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 Results
19. Select all (on the graph) & Create Mode
Shape Results as shown below
20. Highlight Solution (A6) > Evaluate All Results

20.

19.

22 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5

 ...Results

Damped Frequency

Mode # 13 (Backward Whirl), f = 166.85 Hz

Mode # 14 (Forward Whirl), f = 229.9 Hz

23 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5
 ...Results
Note: that all the pairs of modes separate significantly suggesting that the gyroscopic
effects are very pronounced

24 2013 ANSYS, Inc. Release 14.5