Vibration characteristic investigation of an eccentric rotor system with rubbing

Assembly errors can lead to the eccentricity of rotors, further resulting in angular misalignment of rotors and inducing some secondary misalignments, such as the angular misalignment of gears and tilt misalignment of the inner ring of bearings (TMIRB). Ultimately, these misalignments can lead to rubbing faults. However, these misalignments have not raised significant concern, this article investigates their influence on the vibration responses of a dual-rotor-gear-bearing system with rubbing. First, a finite element model (FEM) of the system is built by using an in-house beam element code, and the nonlinear force model of the bearing is established based on the Hertz contact theory. Then, a new model to simulate angular misalignment of gears is proposed by changing the time-varying meshing stiffness (TVMS). Furthermore, the nonlinear dynamic characteristics of the system are investigated in detail under different misalignment angles and rotating speeds, and some interesting conclusions are summarized as follows. Specifically, analyses of the spectrum cascade of radial and axial responses reveal the presence of rich multi-time frequencies and combined frequencies. Moreover, as the misalignment angle increases, the system experiences partial rubbing, the rotating speed threshold (RST) corresponding to initial rubbing decreases, and the mesh stiffness of gears decreases. In summary, the proposed model and the results of the analysis offer valuable insights into the vibration characteristics of such systems and these findings can be instrumental in optimizing their design and operation.