Some Observations of Chaotic Vibration Phenomena in High-Speed Rotordynamics

Subharmonic response in rotordynamics may be encountered when a rotor is operated with its rotational centerline eccentric to that of a close clearance static part, so that local contact can take place during each orbit when the rotor is excited by residual unbalance. The rotor will tend to bounce at or near its fundamental frequency when the rotor is operated at or near a speed which is a whole number [n] times that frequency. Using a simple numerical model of a Jeffcott rotor mounted on a nonlinear spring, it is found that the vibratory response in the transition zone midway between adjacent zones of subharmonic response has all the characteristics of chaotic behavior. The transition from subharmonic to chaotic response has a complex substructure which involves a sequence of bifurcations of the orbit with variations in speed. This class of rotordynamic behavior was confirmed and illustrated by experimental observations of the vibratory response of a high-speed turbomachine, operating at a speed between 8 and 9 times its fundamental rotor frequency when in local contact across a clearance in the support system. A narrow region between zones of 8th order and 9th order subharmonic response was identified where the response had all the characteristics of the chaotic motion identified in the numerical model.