INTERNATIONAl.

CENTRE FOR MECHANICAL SCIENCES

COURSES AND LECTURES - No. 297

ROTORDYNA MICS 2
PROBLEMS IN
TURBO MACHINERY

EDITED BY

N. F. RIEGER
STRESS TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED

SPRINGER-VERLAG WIEN GMBH

Le spesc di stampa di questo volume sono in parte coperte cia contributi

del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricen:he.

This volume contains 3S4 illustrations.

This work is subject to copyright.

All rights are reserved,

whether the whole or part of the material is concerned
specif1Cally those of translation, reprintins, re-use of illustrations,
broadcastin& reproduction by photocopyinJ machine
or similar means, and storase in data banks.
1988 by Springer-VerlagWien
Originally published by Springer-Verlag Wien New York in 1988

ISBN 978-3-211-82091-9
DOI 10.1007/978-3-7091-2846-6

ISBN 978-3-7091-2846-6 (eBook)

PREFACE
Current attention in turbomachinery design and operation is sharply focused on the
achievement of higher levels ofavailability and reliability. The usual trends towards minimum
weight and low vibration have become standard well-recognized criteria for turbomachines of
all types. The thrust of new work is towards increasing the number of operating hours per year
and to minimize outage and maintenance periods.
It is hoped that the technology presented in this volume, "Rotordynamics II- Problems of
Turbo machinery" will contribute towards the above objectives by its consolidated presentation
of existing material, and with the inclusion of newly prepared material on a range of new and
important topics. This latter is not elsewhere available in a single volume. The subject of
rotordynamics now covers a large number of contributing disciplines, and it is now soundly
based on long established principles. Nonetheless, rotordynamics continues to evolve new and
fast-developing aspects, such as the recent surge in instrumentation development, analytical
equipment, and in monitoring devices, all of which are part of the current revolution in microelectronics. Certain new devices such as magnetic bearings also offer great promise for future
application in space, computer, and medical applications. These devices have themselves given
rise to sub-sets of rotordynamics technology. In more conventional areas, new problems such
as torsional transient effects on machine survivability, and the recent emphasis on blading life
improvement have contributed to increased demands for structural component reliability, and
have required additional technology involving life prediction and component life extension.
Rotordynamics research is therefore much different, more detailed, and perhaps more
exacting than the situation which existed ten orFifteen years ago. It is therefore timely to focus
these newer developments into a single volume, written by many experts involved in developing
this new technology. Such a volume should provide designers and operators with a
concentration of new material which will, in turn, further contribute to the development of
more reliable and better functioning turbomachinery.
The initial chapters ofthis volume discuss the operating properties offluid-film bearings, and
the analysis of rotor behavior in such bearings. This fundamental material is utilized in Chapter
Four, where a discussion of problems of rotor balancing is presented. This section covers
balancing machines, rigid rotor balancing, flexible rotor balancing, and several balancing case
histories from practice. Chapter Five deals with techniques for identification of stiffness,
damping, and inertia coefficients for seals,for instances where the dynamic behavior offluidmoving turbomachines requires the contributions of the interstage and gland seals to be
included in the analysis. Chapter Six is a discussion of the stability of rotors in two oil-film
bearings. The prediction of instability threshold speeds is demonstrated, and verified by
experimental studies.
The technology presented in the preceding six chapters is coordinated in Chapter Seven,
which deals with the computer analysis of rotor-bearing systems. A specific large computer
code called PALLA for the dynamic analysis of rotor structural systems is described. The
functioning of this code is demonstrated using several examples from practice. This code
analyzes several rotating shafts in fluid-film bearings and seals, mounted on a flexible
foundation. Although codes of this type have existed since Prahl's critical speed analysis in
/945. to this day it is still difficult to decide on the degree of complexity which the ideal or
optimum rotordynamic computer code should contain. PALLA provides the analyst with a
comprehensive tool for complex rotor-structure systems, to obtain response and stability
information in using well defined support properties.
Machine-soil interactions are discussed in Chapter Nine. The theory of such interactions is
established through the use of viscoelastic field equations, and applied, with experimental
verification, to the case of a turbomachine frame on a soil foundation.
Experimental methods for the study of rotor behavior in bearings are discussed in Chapter
Eight. Sensor technology is presented first, and when.the modern principles of this science have
been described, several experimental techniques for analysis of rotors in bearings and seals are
discussed with examples. Chapter Eight describes certain aspects ofpossible interactions which
may occur beteen a machine and its foundation. The practical aspects of this presentation
throw valuable light upon a complex subject which faces both analysts and experimentalists,
and complements the discussion of the PALLA code in Chapter Seven.

The remaining three chapters deal with special topics which have now developed into
sophisticated sub-technologies. Chapter Ten discusses problems oftorsional shaft systems. The
analysis of turbine-generator torsional transient vibrations has recently undergone
considerable development due to major torsional transient problems which have occurred in
units around the world. Analy~ica/techniques for torsional systems using modal analysis are
discussed in the second section of Chapter Ten, and the complications introduced by the
presence of gears in a drive system are discussed in section three of this chapter. Problems of
turbine blades are discussed in Chapter Eleven. The first presentation deals with free vibrations
and forced vibrations ofblades, and the second section examines the current state-of-the-art for
blade excitation and damping. Case studies involving problems of turbine blades are discussed
in section three ofthis Chapter, and a consolidation ofexisting approaches for life evaluation of
blades is discussed in section four. Experimental and analytical studies on the damping
properties of steam turbine blades are described in part five of Chapter Eleven.
Chapter Twelve describes several special topics. The first of these is magnetic bearings for
which a comprehensive introduction to this subject with applications is presented in the first
section. The technology of magnetic bearings is currently being advanced by needs in space
technology, computers, and elsewhere. This section deals with control systems of magnetic
bearings, and the details presented for application ofsuch devices should provide designers and
users with much valuable guidance. The final section of Chapter Twelve deals with vibrations in
variable speed machines. This topic is of interest wit~ all machines which much traverse one or
more critical speeds during runup and rundown, and machines which operate over a broad
range of operating speed such as gas turbines, utility steam turbines, and pumps. The
importance of the rate at which a critical speed is traversed has been recognized since Lewis s
work in 1932. The technology of this chapter should find further application in life evaluation
techniques discussed above for such machines.
As Editor it is my pleasure to thank all authors who have contributed their labors, creativity,
and valuable time to prepare their sections of this volume. Warm thanks will doubtless also be
expressed by the many readers who scan these pages. Thanks are also due to the diligent staffat
CIS M. in particular Professor Giovanni Bianchi of the Politecnico di Milano whose idea it was
to publish these proceedings; to Professor Carlo Tasso who supervised the preparation of the
\'olume itself. and Signora Bertozzi who had the delicate task of guiding these many authors
towards a common goal. Our publisher Springer- Verlag also deserves our grateful thanks for
producing such a fine manuscript, and we also record our indebtedness to alithe secretaries
who worked long and hard to ensure that the quality of the manuscript was achieved to the
satisfaction of the authors. My own thanks go to Ms. Candace Rogers of Stress Technology
who did an outstanding job of personally checking all the manuscripts that went into this
volume. I extend my grateful thanks to all these people for their contributions.
It is the hope ofall those who have contributed to this volume that their labors have produced
a new state-of-the-art document which will serve as a guide for the creators of new
turbomachines and for those who must maintain the present machines.
Neville F. Rieger
Rochester, New York

CONTENTS
Page
Preface
Chapter I
Introduction
by N.F. Rieger ................................................................ . I
Chapter 2
Bearing Properties
by E. Kramer ................................................................. 17
Chapter 3
Analysis of Rotors in Bearings
by E. Kramer ................................................................. 41
Chapter 4.1
Principles of Balancing and of Balancing Machines
by N.F. Rieger ................................................................ 67
Chapter 4.2
Flexible Rotor Balancing
by N.F. Rieger ................................................................ 95
Chapter 4.3
Case Histories in Balancing of High Speed Rotors
by N.F. Rieger ............................................................... 129
Chapter 5
Seal Properties
by R. Nordmann ............................................................. 153
Chapter 6
Stability of Rotors
by R. Nordmann ............................................................. 175
Chapter 7
Computer Analysis of Rotor Bearings- P.A.L.L.A.: A Package to Analyze the
Dynamic Behavior of a Rotor-Supporting Structure System
by G. Diana, A. Curani, B. Pizzigoni .......................................... .. 191
Chapter 8.1
Sensor Technology
by J. Tonnesen ............................................................. . 261
Chapter 8.2
Experimental Techniques for Rotordynamics Analysis
by J. Tonnesen ............................................................... 269
Chapter 9
Interaction between a Rotor System and its Foundation
by L. Gaul . ................................................................ 283
Chapter 10.1
Problems of Turbine Generator Shaft Dynamics
by D. W. King, N.F. Rieger ............................................ 307

Chapter 10.2
Torsional Systems: Vibration Response by Means of Modal Analysis
by P. Schwibinger, R. Nordmann ............................. .................. 331
Chapter 10.3
Torsional Dynamics of Power Transmission Systems
by N.F. Rieger ............................. ............................. ..... 359
Chapter 11.1
Free and Forced Vibrations of Turbine Blades
by H. lrretier . ............................. ............................. ...... 397
Chapter 11.2
Flow Path Excitation Mechanisms for Turbomachine Blades
by N.F. Rieger ............................. ............................. ..... 423
Chapter 11.3
The Diagnosis and Correction of Steam Turbine Blade Problems
by N.F. Rieger ............................. ............................. ..... 453
Chapter 11.4
An Improved Procedure for Component Life Estimation with Applications
by N.F. Rieger ............................. ............................. ..... 485
Chapter 11.5
Damping Properties of Steam Turbine Blades
by N.F. Rieger ............................. ............................. .... . 515
Chapter 12.1
Magnetic Bearings
by G. Schweitzer ............................. ............................. ... 543
Chapter 12.2
Vibrations in Variable Speed Machines
by H. lrretier . ............................. ............................. ...... 571