Smart viscoelastic supports for vibration control in rotors

Abstract

One of the most important operating requirements of rotating machinery is the capability to operate away from its critical speeds. It can be achieved by associating a material that has property variation when induced by external stimuli. The focus of this work is the application of smart viscoelastic to the rotor dynamics field by employing magneto-rheological elastomer (MRE) as its support. Characterisation of MRE property is determined through impact hammer test with and without the presence of a magnetic field. The modulus of the MRE was estimated from the accelerance FRF plot and compared with the MRE model. The MRE model is based on the inter-particle interaction in the rubber matrix and linearised with the assumption of small displacement around the equilibrium position of the particle. The model of magnetic field-dependent behaviour is combined with the viscoelastic property of the MRE in a series configuration. The linearised MRE model was fairly accurate to estimate the data from the hammer test and experimental data from the literature. Then a rigid rotor model, supported by a flexible mount at both ends that consist of plain bearing with the linearised MRE model is considered. The MRE support is simulated with a three-parameter standard linear viscoelastic model with the inclusion of induced magnetic field property. The simulation results, which were limited to zero-field conditions, indicate that the use of MRE in conventional bearing supports can shift the critical speeds and reduce its corresponding vibration amplitude. These results suggest that the critical speed shift due to the increase of ferromagnetic particles in MRE can be explored further, especially with the influence of the induced magnetic field.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Neil Ferguson: orcid.org/0000-0001-5955-7477

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