Imbalance Response of a Rotor Supported on Flexure Pivot Tilting Pad Journal Bearings in Series With Integral Squeeze Film Dampers

Measurements of the imbalance responses of a massive 45 kg rotor supported on series (flexure pivot) tilting pad bearings and integral squeeze film dampers (SFDs) are presented. The rotor-bearing configuration is of interest in compressor applications where often oil lubricated dampers are introduced in series with fluid film bearings to relocate critical speeds, enhance the overall system damping, and reduce the risks of rotordynamic instabilities due to seals and impellers, for example. Coast-down experiments from 9000 rpm are conducted for increasing levels of rotor imbalance, and equivalent system damping coefficients identified from the peak amplitude of rotor response while traversing cylindrical mode critical speeds. The tests performed with locked (inactive) and active SFDs demonstrate the effectiveness of the flexible damped support in reducing the system critical speed and improving the overall rotor response with reduced transmitted forces to ground. The SFDs allow safe rotor operation with values of imbalance twice as large as the maximum sustained by the rotor supported on tilting pad bearings alone. The experiments reveal a linear relationship between the peak amplitude of vibration at the critical speeds and the imbalance displacement, even for rotor motions larger than 50% of the tilting pad bearing and damper clearances. The tests also show little cross-coupling effects with the shaft centerline moving along a nearly vertical path. The rotor-bearing system remained stable in the entire range of operation and without the appearance of subsynchronous vibration or nonlinear damper jump response.