Stability and Bifurcation of Unbalanced Response of a Squeeze Film Damped Flexible Rotor

The stability and bifurcation of the unbalance response of a squeeze film damper-mounted flexible rotor are investigated based on the assumption of an incompressible lubricant together with the short bearing approximation and the “π” film cavitation model. The unbalanced rotor response is determined by the trigonometric collocation method and the stability of these solutions is then investigated using the Floquet transition matrix method. Numerical examples are given for both concentric and eccentric damper operations. Jump phenomenon, subharmonic, and quasi-periodic vibrations are predicted for a range of bearing and unbalance parameters. The predicted jump phenomenon, subharmonic and quasi-periodic vibrations are further examined by using a numerical integration scheme to predict damper trajectories, calculate Poincare´ maps and power spectra. It is concluded that the introduction of unpressurized squeeze film dampers may promote undesirable nonsynchronous vibrations.