Dynamic Behaviors of Rotor with Fluid Film

Journal and Rolling Element Bearings

SpectraQuest Inc.
November, 2005

Abstract: Using a MFS-Lite ExtendedTM machine, we studied the behavior of a rotor

shaft supported on fluid film journal bearing as well as rolling element bearing from the
perspectives of rotor resonance frequencies and rotor orbit shapes. The experiment results
indicate the effect of bearing types on the rotor natural frequencies can not be neglected.
Moreover, the rotor orbit displays totally different shape for journal fluid film bearing
and rolling element bearing.

1. Experiment Setup
SpectraQuest has designed a new simulator which is called Machinery Fault Simulator-
Lite Extended™ (Fig. 1). It is an innovative tool specially designed to study the dynamic
behavior for rotor supported by oil lubricated journal bearings. A SpectraQuest Lube Oil
Pump is provided with MFS-Lite Extended to drive the lubrication fluid. Besides that, it
is an invaluable tool for studying signatures of common machinery faults without
compromising factory production or profits.

This new simulator is used in this work to investigate the dynamic performance of rotor
supported by fluid film journal bearing as well as rolling element bearing. The
experiment is concentrated on the rotor system dynamic characteristics under resonance
conditions. There are four approaches that you can adopt to excite a rotor natural mode
on the Machinery Fault Simulator-Lite Extended™.
1. change the number of disks or loaders on a shaft
2. change the positions of disks on a shaft
3. change the position of bearing house on the rotor deck

Figure 1. MFS Lite – Extended

During the resonance test, we are trying to obtain a balance between the speed and
vibration. If you introduce too much unbalance, or the unbalance is located at the position
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with the maximum vibration amplitude of a specific mode, the motor controller might be
cut-off because the load is too high. However, in order to excite the resonance, you need
certain amounts of unbalance. Therefore, you need to have the unbalance large enough to
excite the mode but not cut-off the motor. The rule of thumb to achieve some kind of
balance on the unbalance is: for low speed resonance, unbalance weight can be used. For
high speed resonance, (the third mode) unbalance weight is not needed. The unbalance of
the disks by themselves is enough to excite them.

By appropriate configuration of the rotor disks on the shaft, we can excite the first three
rotor natural frequencies.

For proximity probes are installed on the two bearing housings of the rotor shaft to
collect the displacement data of the shaft. Two proximity probes for each bearing
housing, one in the horizontal and one in the vertical directions respectively (Fig 2).

Figure 2. Proximity Probes installed on Bearing Housing

Both runup and coastdown data are collected by using a VibraQuest hardware/software
system (http://www.spectraquest.com/products/vibraquest/index.html).

2. Results and Discussion

The data are analyzed using VibraQuest software. We focus on the vibration spectrum
and the rotor shaft orbit shape.

2.1 Resonance Test Bode Plot

2.1.1 Journal Bearing
The vibration spectrum of the shaft supported by fluid film journal bearing during the
coast down running resonance test is illustrated in Fig 3.

At least three resonances can be identified in Fig 3. Pay attention to the peaks in the
amplitude graph and their corresponding phase shift in the phase graph of Fig 3. It should
be noted that the abrupt 360º phase changes happening around 800 and 3000 RPMs
actually do not reflect any significant physical phenomenon. In reality, a 360º phase
change is no phase change at all.

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 Figure 3. Bode Plot of Rotor Resonance for Journal Bearing

2.1.2 Rolling Element Bearing

The vibration spectrum of the shaft supported by rolling element bearing during the coast
down running resonance test is illustrated in Fig 4.

Similar to the fluid film journal bearing case, three resonances can be identified in Fig 4.
However, the phase graph is not as clean as the one for the fluid film journal bearing.
This is because a rolling element bearing will generate more noise in operation and
phase is more sensitive to noise than amplitude. The most significant difference between
Figs 3 and 4 is that for the rolling element bearing, the largest vibration peak is the
second resonance peak. On the contrary, the second resonance peak is the smallest among
the three resonance peaks for the fluid film journal bearing case.

Figure 4. Bode Plot of Rotor Resonance for Rolling Element Bearing

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From Fig 3, it can be claimed the three resonances occur at around 800, 2900 and 5400
RPMs. From Fig 4, the three resonances occur at around 1200, 3500 and 5600 RPMs.
The increase in the resonance frequencies for the rolling element bearings is expected.
Structurally, rolling element bearing is stiffer than fluid film bearing, therefore would
provide higher supporting stiffness to rotor shaft.

2.2 Orbit
The vibration displacement data in the horizontal and vertical directions are combined
together to obtain the shaft orbit graph. The shaft orbit graphs are recorded at different
instances during the coastdown running test.

2.2.1 Journal Bearing

Fig 5 illustrates the overall displacement and the speed profile data during the coastdown
running test. Fig 6 illustrates the variation of rotor shaft orbit during the 72 seconds (Fig
5) coastdown test. Corresponding to their timing, the order of the orbit subfigures in Fig 6
is from left to right, from top to bottom. It should be noted the orbit with eclipse shape
corresponds to the resonance condition. The circular orbit corresponds to non-resonance
condition (Fig 6 (1, 1), (3, 3),(5, 1)and (8, 3)). Pay attention to Fig 6 (1, 2) through Fig
6(3, 2), this is the third rotor shaft resonance. The orientation of the eclipse is rotating
counter-clockwise. Similarly, for Fig 6 (5, 2) through (8, 1), the rotor shaft is
experiencing its first resonance, the eclipse is rotating counter-clockwise too. A careful
inspection of Fig 6 (5, 2) through (8, 1) indicates not only the orientation of the orbit is
changing, the shape of the orbit changes significantly. Pay attention to Fig 6 (6, 1)
through (7, 1), the shape of the orbit eclipse is very narrow, the shaft is almost vibrating
in only one direction.

Figure 5. Displacement and Speed Data during Coastdown Test for Fluid Film Journal
Bearing

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(1, 1) (1, 2) (1, 3)

(2, 1) (2, 2) (2, 3)

(3, 1) (3, 2) (3, 3)

(4, 1) (4, 3)
(4, 2)

(5, 2) (5, 3)
(5, 1)

(6, 1) (6, 2) (6, 3)

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 (7, 3)
(7, 1) (7, 2)

(8, 1) (8, 2) (8, 3)

Figure 6. Orbit Graphs of Shaft with Fluid Film Journal Bearings

2.2.2 Rolling Element Bearing

Fig 7 illustrates the overall displacement data and the speed profile data during the
coastdown running test. Fig 8 illustrates the variation of rotor shaft orbit during the 32
seconds (Fig 7) coastdown test.

An inspection of Fig 8 indicates that the shaft vibrate more in a random way when the
shaft is not in resonance (Fig 8 (2, 2), (2, 3), (5, 2), (5, 3) and (8, 2). When the shaft
enters a resonance, its vibration orbit is more predictable. However, compared with the
fluid film journal bearing case, the orbit shape is more variable. Pay attention to Fig 8 (2,
1), there are two eclipses, an indication of 2X vibration. Furthermore, there are three
lobes in Fig 8 (6, 3), an indication of 3X vibration. It can be noticed that the orbit
orientation rotation phenomenon we observed in Fig 6 does not show in Fig 8.

Figure 7. Displacement and Speed Data during Coastdown Test for Rolling Element

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 Bearing

(1, 1) (1, 2) (1, 3)

(2, 1) (2, 2) (2, 3)

(3, 1) (3, 2) (3, 3)

(4, 2) (4, 3)
(4, 1)

(5, 2) (5, 3)
(5, 1)

(6, 1) (6, 2) (6, 3)

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 (7, 1) (7, 3)
(7, 2)

(8, 1) (8, 2)

Figure 8. Orbit Graphs of Shaft with Rolling Element Bearings

3. Conclusions
The dynamic behavior of a rotor shaft supported by fluid film journal bearing as well as
rolling element bearing is investigated from the perspectives of rotor resonance
frequencies and rotor orbit shapes. From the experiment results, it can be claimed that
rolling element bearings have higher supporting stiffness than fluid film journal bearings.
The shaft orbit orientation is rotating during resonance for a fluid film bearing supported
shaft. However, a rolling element bearing supported shaft does not have this behavior.
The shaft orbit is circular under non resonance condition for a shaft with fluid film
bearing. It has random pattern under non resonance condition for a shaft with rolling
element bearing. Finally, a rolling element bearing supported shaft has dominant 2X or
3X vibration components during resonance. For a shaft with fluid film bearing, only 1X
vibration is dominant during resonance.