Unbalance Response of an Elastic Rotor in Damped Flexible Bearings at Supercritical Speeds

Abstract

The unbalance response of a uniform flexible rotor in fluid-film bearings has been analyzed for speeds up to 20 times the lowest rigid-bearing critical speed. Rotor mass and elasticity are distributed uniformly along the length of the rotor. A single radial speed-dependent force is used to represent the rotor unbalance. The rotor is assumed to operate in stable plain cylindrical bearings which are represented by direct and cross-coupled spring and damping forces. The influence of rotor speed, bearing operating eccentricity, relative stiffness of rotor and bearings, and unbalance location along rotor on the performance of the rotor-bearing system has been determined. Results are presented as charts of rotor maximum whirl amplitude and of bearing maximum whirl transmitted force for wide ranges of the foregoing parameters. Mode shapes at critical speeds are also included.