Study on the influence of internal bearing parameters on the critical speed and vibration behavior of the rotor-bearing coupled system

doi:10.1007/s10483-026-3357-7

Abstract

Abstract:

The dual challenges of critical speed prediction inaccuracies and ambiguous vibration behaviors are present in high-speed flexible rotors, particularly in free turbine rotors in turboshaft engine systems. The study begins with an examination of the rotor-bearing bidirectional coupling mechanism, with a primary focus on the nonlinear characteristics of the bearing. An investigation is carried out on the mechanical modeling methodologies for four-point contact ball bearings (FPCBBs) and cylindrical roller bearings (CRBs). To address the issue of excessive computational time in traditional bearing calculation methods, the sled dog optimization (SDO) algorithm is substituted for the conventional Newton-Raphson method. A rotor-bearing coupling dynamics model is developed by the finite element and lumped mass methods, with experimental validation achieved through a simulator test rig. The effects of three internal bearing parameters in FPCBBs (arching width and raceway groove curvature coefficient) and CRBs (initial radial clearance) on the critical speed characteristics and vibrational behavior of rotor-bearing coupled systems are examined. The numerical simulation results show some interesting conclusions.

Key words: critical speed, vibration behavior, sled dog optimization (SDO) algorithm, rotor-bearing coupled system

2010 MSC Number:

TH133

Fanyu ZHANG, Yulai ZHAO, Qingyu ZHU, Xiangyu MENG, Junzhe LIN, Qingkai HAN. Study on the influence of internal bearing parameters on the critical speed and vibration behavior of the rotor-bearing coupled system. Applied Mathematics and Mechanics (English Edition), 2026, 47(3): 653-674.

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Figures/Tables 30

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Table 1

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Table 2

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Table 3

Parameter setting"

Subsection	Varying parameter	Constant parameter
5.1	Arching width of FPCBB $g i/o ∈ [23.4 μ m, 61.4 μ m],$ $Δ g i/o = 7.6 μ m$	$f i/o = 0.51,$ $P d = 16 μ m$
5.2	Raceway groove curvature coefficient of FPCBB $f i/o ∈ [0.51, 0.512 5],$ $Δ f i/o = 0.005$	$g i/o = 61.4 μ m,$ $P d = 16 μ m$
5.3	Initial radial clearance of the CRB $P d ∈ [0 μ m, 20 μ m],$ $Δ P d = 4 μ m$	$g i/o = 38.6 μ m,$ $f i/o = 0.51$

Table 3

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Sampling point quantity	Time-consuming/h
Sampling point quantity	SDO	Newton-Raphson
180 000	10.1	24.3
360 000	20.0	48.5
540 000	30.0	72.7
720 000	39.9	108.9
900 000	49.8	120.0

Position	Threshold/Hz
Position	Region I	Region II	Region III	Region IV
Shaft midspan	0–285	285–305	305–420	420–500