2

Gyroscopic Effects
GYROSCOPIC EFFECTS
 In many machines the rotating
components are forced to turn about
axes other than their own axes of
rotation and gyroscopic effects are thus
set up.

ωS : spin velocity
ωp : precessional velocity
The required external Torque to produce
this motion = Jyy ωp ωS
Gyroscopic reaction F = Jyy ωp ωS / l
 Dynamics of Rotating shafts
 The analysis in the preceding chapter was for a
disc which is symmetrically mounted on a
shaft. As the disc is mounted at the centre, the
axis of spin of the disc will always be parallel to
the line of supports (Fig. a).
 However, when the disc is not mounted at the
centre, the shaft deflection causes a change in
the orientation of the disc plane (Fig. b).
 Any such phenomenon will be accompanied by
a gyroscopic effect which will always tend to
bring the shaft axis into coincidence with the
axis of rotation.
 This results in an increase in the effective
stiffness of the shaft and a higher critical
speed.
 mx   Fx my   Fy
I T  I P    M x I T   I P    M y

where the IT is the transverse moment of inertia of the (symmetric) disc

about x or y- axis. IP is the polar moment of inertia of the disc about z-axis.

For long rotors the value of IT is higher and when the rotor disc becomes
thinner, IP is almost 2 times of IT. In such case, IT can be called as J,
diametral moment of inertia.
 The terms involving the IP in the above equations are the gyroscopic
moments. They tend to stiffen the rotor in forward whirl and distiffen in
backward whirl, thus raising and lowering the natural frequencies of
forward and backward modes respectively.
 The forces and moments on the right hand side of the equations consist of
(i) elastic and internal friction forces exerted on the disc by the shaft.
(ii) unbalance forces
(iii) fluid forces such as working fluid and shaft seals
(iv) fluid film bearing forces
 X  [ x, y, ,  ]T
the mass matrix
M  diag[m m IT IT ]

  GX
MX   KX  0
and the gyroscopic matrix G = (gik)
where g34 = Ip Ω , g43 = - IpΩ , other elements = 0
Consider rigid disc and isotropic shaft

mx  k xx x  k x  0
my  k yy y  k y  0
I  I p   k  kx x  0
I  I p   k  ky y  0
Use the following

k xx  k yy  k rr , k  k  k , k xy  k yx  0, k  k  0,

k x  k x ky  k y  k r

r = x + iy, ψ =  +iθ ,
mr  k rr r  k r   0
I  iI p   k r r  k  0

Assuming the solution in the usual harmonic function as r  ro e in

we can obtain the frequency equation as,

mIn4  mI p n3  (mk r  Ikrr )n2  krr I p n  (krr k  kr2 )  0

The equation shows clearly the eigenfrequencies are

function of rotor speed Ω and increase with speed.
Campbell diagram for critical speeds
In the plot also shown in broken line is the excitation line of f =ω = Ω. The
intersection of which with frequencies variation curves ωn1 and ωn2 .

c    n ,
This gives the two critical speeds at which the whirl has the same direction
(and angular velocity) with the rotation of the shaft, hence are called as
forward precession

Further two more critical speeds are possible considering the rotor
whirling in the opposite direction. These can be computed from the
condition
c     n ,
Thus with consideration of gyroscopic effects, we can show the splitting of critical.
Long rigid (drum like) symmetric rotor
 As a simple illustration of gyroscopic effects, a special case of
long rigid symmetric rotor is considered here.

Using previous equations and assuming purely elastic and symmetric

model (Kxx = Kyy = k; Fx = -kx, Fy = -ky for the bearing forces), for
no excitation (unbalance = 0),

The equations of rotor of mass m can be written as,

 mx  2kx  0
my  2ky  0

I T   I P   KL  / 2  0
 2

I T   I P   KL2 / 2  0

 Solving the homogeneous equations we get purely imaginary eigenvalues
of the rotor
 sj = i ω , for j = 1,2,3,4, where

1   2  2 K / m ,


 3  I P  / 2 I T  KL2 / 2 I T  ( I P  / 2 I T ) 2 

4  I P  / 2 I T  KL2 / 2 I T  ( I P  / 2 I T ) 2 
 1   4 are the undamped natural frequencies
of the rotor-bearing system.

 The natural frequencies ω1 and ω2 are

independent of speed Ω and equal to 2 K / m ,
which also indicate vibration modes are planar:
heaving-swaying.

 When Ω = 0, ω3 and ω4 are also become equal

2
to KL / 2 I T which indicate the pitching-yawing
mode of vibration.
  It can be noticed from equations, that with increase in
shaft speed Ω, one natural frequency (ω3) increases
and the other (ω4) decreases.
 A useful term called gyroscopic parameter, α can be
defined as (α = IP / IT ) the value of which indicate the
measure of the gyroscopic strength (moment).
 This becomes larger as the rotor is shortened, until
,
α = 2 for a thin disc.
 Another parameter can be defined as speed parameter
P   / T
where
T  KL2 / 2 I T
 The variation of the natural frequencies (dimensionless) ω3 and ω4
with speed parameter are shown for different values of α
 The value α = 0 is a fictitious case with no gyroscopic
moment.
 The forward synchronous excitation frequency of
rotating imbalance is shown by the dashed line, and
its intersection with the α = 0 and α = 0.5 curves are
the conical critical speeds for these two cases.
 Note that if α is large enough (e.g., short rotors) there
is no intersection and therefore no critical speed.
 In this case the eigenvalues exist but are never
excited by rotating imbalance
 The ratio of moments of inertia, the gyroscopic
parameter (α) is seen to be the controlling
parameter.

 We can state that for the case of long stiff rotors

for which roughly IT > 10 IP the gyroscopic effect
has practically no influence on the rotor
unbalance vibration