The Influence of Torsional-Lateral Coupling on the Stability Behavior of Geared Rotor Systems

In high-performance turbomachinery trouble often arises due to unstable asynchronous lateral vibrations. The instabilities are mostly caused by oil film bearings, clearance excitation, internal damping, annular pressure seals in pumps, or labyrinth seals in turbocompressors. In recent times as an additional influence the coupling between torsional and lateral vibrations is considered, which is of practical importance in geared rotor systems. In the literature [1, 2], some field problems are described, where in geared drive trains unstable lateral vibrations occurred together with torsional oscillations. This presentation studies the influence of torsional-lateral coupling on the stability behavior of a simple geared system supported by oil film bearings. The coupling effect is investigated by parameter studies and a sensitivity analysis for the uncoupled and the coupled system.