Author(s)

Ulrich Werner

Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Precision Engineering, Information Technology, Georg Simon Ohm University of Applied Sciences, Nuremberg, Germany.

The paper presents a mathematical model for analyzing the threshold of stability for rotating machines, where the rotor is linked to the stator by roller bearings, bearing housings and end-shields and where the stator feet are mounted on a soft foundation. The internal (rotating) damping of the rotor is the only source of instability, which is considered in the paper. After the mathematical coherences of the multibody model are described, a procedure is presented for deriving the threshold of stability. Additionally, a numerical example is shown, where the threshold of stability is calculated for different boundary conditions. It could be demonstrated, that the stiffness of the foundation—even if the foundation stiffness is isotropic—can help stabilizing this kind of vibration system in the same way as orthotropic bearing stiffness or orthotropic bearing housing and end-shield stiffness for a rigid foundation.

Rotordynamics, Instability, Roller Bearings, Rotating Damping

Werner, U. (2017) Influence of the Foundation on the Threshold of Stability for Rotating Machines with Roller Bearings—A Theoretical Analysis. Journal of Applied Mathematics and Physics, 5, 1380-1397. doi: 10.4236/jamp.2017.56114.