Dynamics of on-board rotors on finite-length journal bearings subject to multi-axial and multi-frequency excitations: numerical and experimental investigations

On-board rotating machinery subject to multi-axial excitations is encountered in a wide variety of high-technology applications. Such excitations combined with mass unbalance forces play a considerable role in their integrity because they can cause parametric instability and rotor–stator interactions. Consequently, predicting the rotordynamics of such machines is crucial to avoid triggering undesirable phenomena or at least limiting their impacts. In this context, the present paper proposes an experimental validation of a numerical model of a rotor-shaft-hydrodynamic bearings system mounted on a moving base. The model is based on a finite element approach with Timoshenko beam elements having six degrees of freedom (DOF) per node to account for the bending, torsion and axial motions. Classical 2D rectangular finite elements are also employed to obtain the pressure field acting inside the hydrodynamic bearing. The finite element formulation is based on a variational inequality approach leading to the Reynolds boundary conditions. The experimental validation of the model is carried out with a rotor test rig, designed, built, instrumented and mounted on a 6-DOF hydraulic shaker. The rotor’s dynamic behavior in bending, torsion and axial motions is assessed with base motions consisting of mono- and multi-axial translations and rotations with harmonic, random and chirp sine profiles. The comparison of the predicted and measured results achieved in terms of shaft orbits, full spectrums, transient history responses and power spectral densities is very satisfactory, permitting the experimental validation of the model proposed