Dynamic response of an unbalanced rotor supported on ball bearings

The non-linear dynamic analysis of a horizontal rigid rotor having unbalanc e and supported on ball bearings has been done. The non-linearity is both d ue to Hertzian contact and the radial internal clearance. The system is exc ited by the varying compliance frequency and the rotational frequency. For finding out the fixed point and stability of the system the concept of high er order Poincare map and interpolation technique has been applied. The res ults show the appearance of instability and chaos in the dynamic response a s the speed of the rotor-bearing system is changed. Period doubling and mec hanism of intermittency have been observed as the routes to chaos. The expe rimental investigations for a horizontal rotor-bearing system have shown th e effect of varying compliance and increase in non-linearity due to radial internal clearance of the ball bearing. The orbit plots, cascade plots and frequency plots bring out the effect of radial internal clearance on the ro tor response. (C) 2000 Academic Press.