Dynamic analysis of a double-helical geared rotor system with oil-film bearing

Purpose: This paper aims to study a dynamic analysis of a double-helical geared rotor system with oil-film bearing. Design/methodology/approach: A finite element model of a double-helical geared rotor system with oil-film bearing is developed, in which a rigid mass is used to represent the gear and the Timoshenko beam finite element represents the shaft; the equations of motion are obtained by applying Lagrange’s equation. Natural frequencies, Campbell diagram, lateral responses, axial responses, bearing stiffness coefficients, bearing damping coefficients and bearing force are investigated. Findings: Natural frequencies and Campbell diagram of a double-helical geared rotor system with oil-film bearing are investigated. An increased helical angle enhanced the axial response of the system and reduced its lateral response. The distance between the node and bearing affected the lateral response magnitude on the node. The farther away the gear pair was from the central part of the shaft, the higher the system’s resonance frequency became. The different gear pair position has a significant influence on the bearing stiffness coefficient and bearing force, but it just has a little effect on the bearing damping coefficient. Practical implications: The model of a double-helical geared rotor system with oil-film bearing is established in this paper. The dynamic characteristics of a double-helical geared rotor system with oil-film bearing are investigated. The numerical results of this study can be used as a reference for subsequent personnel research. Originality/value: Although the dynamics characteristics of geared rotor bearing system have been reported in some literature, the dynamic analysis of a double-helical geared rotor-bearing system is still rarely investigated. This paper showed some novel results that lateral and axial response results are obtained by the different helical angle and different gear positions. In the future, it makes valuable contributions for further development of dynamic analysis of a double-helical geared rotor-bearing system.