Bifurcation Analysis of Self-Acting Gas Journal Bearings

Abstract

This paper studies the bifurcation of a rigid rotor supported by a gas film bearing. A time-dependent mathematical model for gas journal bearings is presented. The finite differences method and the Successive Over Relation (S.O.R) method are employed to solve the Reynolds’ equation. The system state trajectory, Poincaré maps, power spectra, and bifurcation diagrams are used to analyze the dynamic behavior of the rotor center in the horizontal and vertical directions under different operating conditions. The analysis shows how the existence of a complex dynamic behavior comprising periodic and subharmonic response of the rotor center. This paper shows how the dynamic behavior of this type of system varies with changes in rotor mass and rotational velocity. The results of this study contribute to a further understanding of the nonlinear dynamics of gas film rotor-bearing systems.