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2013-Eling - Dyn of Rotors On Hydrodynamic Bearings-COMSOL Conf
2013-Eling - Dyn of Rotors On Hydrodynamic Bearings-COMSOL Conf
2013-Eling - Dyn of Rotors On Hydrodynamic Bearings-COMSOL Conf
Abstract: Rotordynamic analysis is a crucial fluid: when shear flow forces the fluid into a
step in the development of rotor bearing systems converging section, an increase of pressure will
in order to prevent rotor instabilities, excessive occur, see Figure 1. The increase of pressure
unbalance response, bearing overheating or other counteracts the rotor load and hence the film has
undesired phenomena. a certain carrying capacity.
This study presents a rotordynamic analysis of a
rotor supported by hydrodynamic bearings using
Comsol Multiphysics. In this paper, the
complexity of the model is gradually increased.
Starting point of the analysis is the modal
analysis of the rotor in free-free conditions, as it
can be accurately validated by experiments.
Figure 1 Working principle of a hydrodynamic
Once the rotor modal properties correspond with bearing. The shaft rotation generates a shear flow of
experimental values, the hydrodynamic bearing oil. The resulting pressure distribution interacts with
properties are investigated. A Reynolds model is the shaft loads.
set up to predict the lubricating film pressure
distribution under shaft loading. Due to the cross The fluid films support the rotor loads in radial
coupling terms of the bearing stiffness and axial directions. The load carrying capacity
coefficients, instability may occur. A point mass of the fluid film is created by the shaft movement
simulation of the shaft in a hydrodynamic itself. Therefore, a coupled analysis of the rotor
bearing is able to predict the whirl frequency and structure and the fluid domain is necessary to
amplitude of the bearing itself. Coupling the obtain realistic predictions of the operational
hydrodynamic bearings to a flexible shaft, the response over the entire rotor speed range.
whirl can be seen to interact with the rotor
natural frequencies. In this paper, the analysis steps taken to evaluate
Hence, by coupling the fluid film physics the design of a rotor bearing system are
directly to the rotor physics, a prediction of the illustrated. The analysis starts by analyzing the
rotor dynamics can be made. This enables the uncoupled rotor structure. This is followed by an
design engineer to evaluate the critical rotor analysis of the uncoupled bearing. After the rotor
bearing design criteria at a very early stage of and bearing properties have been illustrated, the
development. interaction between the rotor and the bearing
dynamics is investigated in a coupled analysis.
Keywords:
Rotordynamics, fluid film, hydrodynamic This kind of study can typically be made at a
bearings, unbalance response, whirling, very early stage of developing a new rotor
Campbell diagram, turbocharger bearing system. As a result, the correct geometry
can be configured at the very first prototype
1. Introduction phase and undesired rotor responses can be
prevented.
Fluid film bearings are used in a wide variety
of high speed, high load and high precision Hydrodynamic bearings are applied to support
applications due to their excellent lifetime rotors in a wide range of rotating machinery,
performance, low cost and low noise output. A varying from MEMS rotors to hydro turbines
hydrodynamic bearing consists of a thin layer of with power levels of over 100MW. In this study,
fluid which separates two objects which have a the focus will be on a turbocharger rotor for
relative motion. The working principle is based automotive applications.
on the hydrodynamic pressure generation in the
2. Turbocharger rotor bearing system Friction losses in the bearings to
improve the overall turbocharger
The system under consideration is an efficiency and to reduce spin-up times.
automotive turbocharger rotor bearing system. It Perhaps most importantly, the
features two overhung wheels on a steel shaft, production cost of the total rotor
suspended on oil lubricated hydrodynamic bearing system has to be minimized for
bearings, both in radial and in axial directions. the competitive automotive market.
For this analysis, we will focus only on the radial In order to meet these often conflicting
dynamics; the axial dynamics are relatively requirements, a structured approach is required.
straightforward and are ignored here. The turbine
wheel is connected to the shaft by a weld When designing a rotor bearing system, a typical
whereas the compressor wheel is assembled by a rotor dynamic analysis consists of the following
simple nut connection in axial direction. steps [3]:
1. Modal analysis of the stationary rotor
2. Determination of the rotor
eigenfrequencies as a function of
rotation speed, resulting in the
Campbell diagram
3. Prediction of the unbalance response of
the linear system
4. Calculation of the bearing stiffness and
damping coefficients
5. Stability analysis and run-up simulation
Figure 2 Schematic cross section of a turbocharger of the coupled system
rotor bearing system.
The complexity of this analysis strongly depends
The operation speed of an automotive on the bearing coefficients: linear, symmetric
turbocharger is varying constantly, and can be bearings allow relatively straightforward
over 250.000rpm for small size turbochargers. At methods whereas non-linear and asymmetric
these speeds, the rotating unbalance excitation bearing coefficients require more elaborate
frequency is above the first rotor bending analysis. The turbocharger rotor bearing system
eigenfrequency and therefore the rotor can no under consideration has highly non-linear and
longer be considered to be rigid. Instead the rotor asymmetric bearing coefficients. In the following
behaves as a flexible shaft, and therefore has to sections, the analysis will start using a simple
be modeled with sufficient degrees of freedom to linear rotor model and will gradually be
capture the different flexible shaft modes. developed into a coupled rotor-bearing model.
For the development of a turbocharger rotor 3. Modal analysis of the stationary rotor
bearing system, multiple performance criteria
have to be evaluated [2]: Typically, the first step in modeling the
Stability of the rotor to ensure safe dynamics of a rotor bearing system is the modal
operation under all operating analysis of the stationary rotor. This means that
conditions, including variable oil supply the influence of the bearings is excluded first.
temperatures, variable rotation speeds The rotor geometry is discretized using finite
and various unbalance loading elements. Modal analysis is performed to obtain
configurations. the eigenfrequencies and the associated
Rotor response to unbalance to eigenmodes of the rotor in free-free conditions.
prevent wear and noise issues. In The simulation results from the modal analysis
addition, minimization of the shaft orbit can easily be validated using impact hammer
allows for reduction of the required testing, followed by a modal assurance criterion
rotor-stator gap. This results in less air study between experimental and simulation
flow leakage and thus better turbine and results. In this case, the range of interest is 0-
compressor efficiencies.
6kHz in which two bending modes are found,
see Figure 3. The range of interest is based on
the first order (unbalance) excitation of the rotor.
u
ψn n
vn kij cij kij cij
θn
9. Conclusions
Modeling the rotor dynamics of rotors on
hydrodynamic bearing requires several steps to
understand and explain the complex rotor
behavior over the operation range. As the
hydrodynamic bearing contains cross coupling
stiffness terms, instabilities of the coupled
system can result in excessive rotor vibration
values. The results of adjustments in the rotor
bearing design can now be evaluated on the most
important performance criteria.