The phenomenon of contact between a rotor and its stator, known as rub, has
long been recognized as a serious cause of failure in rotating machinery.
The analysis of rub is particularly complex, due to non-linear and often ch
aotic behaviour. Numerical simulation is the preferred method of analysis a
nd, due to improvements in digital computing in recent years, it has become
possible to analyze ever-more complex numerical models.:To this end, the a
nalysis of rotor/stator contact has seen a corresponding increase in the am
ount of research invested in it. One aspect of the dynamics involved with t
he occurrence of rub that has not been investigated until now, is that of t
he effects of torsion. In the literature, steady state analysis is limited
to lateral movement: this paper includes torsional effects in a rotor/state
r contact model and highlights the importance of its inclusion by way of a
numerical example having realistic physical parameters. (C) 1999 Academic P
ress.