The Stability of a Spinning Elastic Disk With a Transverse Load System

This paper presents results of an investigation on the effect of a transverse load on the stability of a spinning elastic disk. The disk rotates at constant angular velocity and the load consists of a mass distributed over a small area of the disk, a spring, and a dashpot. The equation of motion for the transverse vibration of the disk is written as a system of linear ordinary differential equations with constant coefficients. The analysis indicates that the disk system is unstable for speeds in a region above the critical speeds of vibration of the spinning disk due to the effects of load stiffness. The mass and damping of the load system cause a terminal instability and other instabilities occur as a result of modal interaction.