Investigating ANSYS Rotordynamics

Jerome Montgomery
Siemens Power Generation
Krzysztof Kusmider
Siemens Power Generation
Abstract
Many have requested rotordynamics capabilities in ANSYS. Release 10.0 has capabilities that are of
interest to many in this field. This paper will look into the Coriolis effects and how it can be applied in a
finite element model. Also, gyroscopic effects will be discussed. A rotordynamics analysis will be
performed to demonstrate the capabilities and limitations in Release 10.0 of ANSYS. Results will be
compared to those obtained from in-house programs. A few textbook cases will be investigated as a
baseline. This will gain confidence in utilizing the capabilities in commercial applications. A summary
table of capabilities, limitations, and requests for improvements will be generated.

Introduction
Rotors transmitting power are one of the largest and most loaded components of turbines. The turbine rotor
(Figure 1) is an assembly of shafts, discs, blades, and couplings, affected by bearings and seals. To predict
behavior and properly design a rotor/bearing system today, a number of steps in analysis must be
performed. Each step has its own acceptance criteria and often the rotor design has to be compromised
with one versus another criteria, or optimized to fulfill specific criteria. A few, and often very different,
computing codes are used.

Figure 1. Sample Rotor

Rotor static analysis of stresses due to mechanical and thermal loads is usually performed using
commercial finite element analysis (FEA) software. These loads limit the diameter of the rotor and
represent continuous operation. Using FEA time-dependent analysis (creep), engineers predict the designed
life of the rotor. As well, FEA transient analysis is conducted to predict stress due to Low Cycle Fatigue
(LCF) of the rotor. The LCF stress, as a function of temperature, is then used to calculate the number of
load changes the rotor will accept.
The other part of analysis is to predict rotor lateral static and dynamic behavior. Here the bearing span
versus rotor gravity deflection, journal/bearing properties, couplings alignment, and seals will play a major
role. In this analysis the designers goal is to decrease gravity deflection (make the rotor stiff), maximize
bearing span (longer blade path creates more power), optimize bearings (reduce losses of power versus
load). Alignment of couplings, bearing elevation and induced circumferential bending, i.e., High Cycle
Fatigue (HCF), is calculated. The lateral dynamic analysis is performed to keep the critical speeds away
from operating speed, predict rotor unbalance response, and keep rotor lateral stability within standards.
The most important aspect in turbine rotor design is its ability to transmit mechanical power produced by
the turbine to the generator. That is the ability not only to transmit the static torque during normal
operation, but as well to withstand dynamic torques during abrupt changes of operation, i.e. due to short
circuit. These transient dynamic loads are the largest ones.
Torsion natural frequencies might affect safe operation of the turbine-generator unit. Resonance with the
electrical grid (single and especially double frequency) can create vibratory stresses, damaging blades
and/or rotors.
The authors believe that modeling a rotor in a single analytical software environment to predict all of the
items above in one analytical code will be beneficial to rotor designers, shorten the process of design,
reduce the number of interactions (i.e., remodeling geometry) and the time of training on the job will be
reduced.

Modeling Rotors
The rotor, in most cases, is symmetric circumferentially, therefore the 2D model is sufficient. In some
special cases it is necessary to model the rotor as a 3D component. When very detailed analysis is required
the rotor is treated as a 3D assembly of parts with pre-stressed contact elements.
Due to the general character of this paper, a simple 3D geometry of rotors is used, such as one might find in
a majority of textbooks. First the Jeffcott rotor will be modeled, then a simplified geometry of a turbine
rotor will be modeled.
Both rotors will be supported at first with rigid bearings. Time did not permit modeling with calculated
bearing damping.
The rotordynamic analysis will be performed in ANSYS Release 10 and compared to in-house
rotordynamic codes.

Jeffcott Rotor
The analyzed Jeffcott rotor is shown in Figure 2. It consist of a massive unbalanced disc mounted midway
between the bearing support on a flexible shaft.

Figure 2. Jeffcott Rotor

 Turbine Rotor
The analyzed turbine rotor is shown in Figure 3. It consist of the shaft ends supported by bearings. The
long conical parts representing blade path and cylindrical parts are glands and journals.

Figure 3. Turbine Rotor

Procedure
Both rotors, Jeffcott rotor and Turbine rotor, are modeled in such a way that they will have the same total
weight and the center of gravity will be in the mid-span of bearings. This is necessary to make the results
comparable since bearing damping is a function of its load.
It is assumed that a uniform room temperature occurs along the rotor body. Only dynamic characteristics
are reviewed.

Analysis
Due to time, only the critical speed evaluation of the two rotors was considered. The finite element models
were meshed much finer than necessary. Figure 4 show the mesh of the Jeffcott Rotor and Figure 5 show
the mesh of the Turbine Rotor. The boundary conditions used were gravity, angular velocity, and
constraints. The rotors were fixed in the x and y positions at each bearing. Note that the constraint is at the
centerline. One end of each rotor was fixed in the z direction.

Figure 4. Jeffcott Mesh

 Figure 5. Turbine Mesh

Figure 6 show the constraints on the Jeffcott Rotor while Figure 7 show the constraints on the Turbine
Rotor.

Figure 6. Jeffcott Constraints

Figure 7. Turbine Constraints

Three cases were run. The first case was unloaded critical speed. The second case was pre-stressed loaded.
The third case was pre-stressed loading with spin-softening effects.
Also, a hand calculation was performed using the traditional equation [sqrt(k/m)] from reference 1 resulting
in a bending critical speed of 32.9 Hertz.

Analysis Results & Discussion

Table 1 show the results of the Jeffcott Rotor. Abbreviations are Jeffcott (JC), Pre-stressed (PS), Spin-
softening (SS). Rotor behavior is described in the Descriptions column.

Table 1
Set Code I Code R JC PS, JC PS, SS, JC Description
1 0.44e-4 0.50e-1 Twisting about z
2 35.77 35.84 Bending along x-axis
3 35.4 35.4 35.77 35.84 Bending along y-axis
4 60.00 Twisting about z
6 82.16 101.39 100.50 Disk swaying side to side about x
7 96.6 111.53 82.16 101.39 100.50 Disk swaying side to side about y
8 92.79 94.33 94.32 Axial along z (low umbrella type mode)
9 183.93 205.08 204.92 Disk warping, shaft remains stable, x
10 183.93 205.08 204.92 Disk warping, shaft remains stable, y
11 243.19 253.31 253.22 Axial, umbrella mode
12 393.35 411.4 305.74 307.55 302.13 Shaft Whipping mode, along x
13 305.74 307.55 302.13 Shaft Whipping mode, along y
14 434.1 390.32 390.40 385.83 Tandem whip, along x
15 390.32 390.40 385.83 Tandem whip, along y
16 397.55 414.74 414.61 4 mode warping disk
17 397.55 414.74 414.61 4 mode warping disk
18 563.30 566.45 563.26 Tandem Exploding twist, disk stable
19 575.35 578.40 575.28 Opposite Exploding twist, disk stable
20 629.92 631.01 628.40 Opposite End shaft swaying, along x
21 629.92 631.01 628.40 Opposite End shaft swaying, along y
22 652.87 652.99 650.35 Tandem End tips bending, along y
23 650.35 Tandem End tips bending, along x
24 692.73 8 mode warping disk

The results show that there is a frequency contribution on the shaft and the disk. Figure 8 show a graph of
displacement versus frequency data of the Jeffcott Rotor PS case.
Table 2 show the results of the Turbine Rotor. Abbreviations are Turbine Rotor (TR), Pre-stressed (PS),
Spin-softening (SS). Rotor behavior is described in the Descriptions column.
Table 2
Set Code I Code R TR PS, TR PS, SS, TR Description of PS, TR
1 0.16e-3 60.00 0.00 Twisting along z axis (torsion mode)
2 87.8 92 83.89 83.99 58.90 Bending mode along y axis
3 83.89 83.99 58.90 Bending mode along x axis
4 113.43 113.43 113.43 Axial mode (moving in and out along z axis)
5 232.3 247.8 207.29 207.63 199.13 Wiggling mode along x axis
6 207.29 207.63 199.13 Wiggling mode along y axis
7 534 471.08 471.68 Double wiggling along x axis
8 471.08 471.68 Double wiggling along y axis
9 525 535.26 538.57 Symmetric twisting along z axis
10 687.65 687.78 End Flap along x axis
11 687.65 687.78 End Flap along y axis
12 707.04 707.20 Tandem end flap along x axis
13 707.04 707.20 Tandem end flap along y axis
14 930.89 930.88 Stretching mode along z axis

Figure 8. Jeffcott Graph

Note that the Turbine rotor does not include disk effects as the Jeffcott rotor. Figure 9 show a graph of
displacement versus frequency data of the Turbine Rotor case.

Figure 9. Turbine Graph

A past actual design required some evaluations of geometry similar to the Jeffcott rotor. Figure 10 show a
disk warping mode while Figure 11 show an umbrella mode. It was interesting because in this design the
disk was keyed to the shaft. Because of this the tendency was to look at the frequency modes separately.
That is, the disk frequency was evaluated while fixing the shaft and vice versa. But the results of the
Jeffcott Rotor show that there are interactive frequencies between the disk and shaft.
 Figure 10. Design Disk

Figure 11. Design Disk Umbrella Mode

Figure 12 show mode 1 of in-house code I. This is actually mode 2. Results from ANSYS show that mode
1 is a twisting mode. Figure 13 show mode 2 of in-house code I. This is actually mode 3.
Figure 12. Jeffcott Rotor Code I Mode 1

Figure 13. Jeffcott Rotor Code I Mode 2

 Figure 14. Jeffcott Rotor Code I Unbalance

Conclusion
Three dimensional finite element analysis does a better job of capturing all of the frequency modes than in-
house codes. In-house codes tend to look at lateral and torsional, without axial. This activity show that it is
important to not overlook the axial modes, especially the umbrella mode.

The graph from ANSYS was not as clean looking as what came from the in-house code. It could have
required additional steps. It is known that such a graph can be generated using a harmonic analysis. But
this was not that case.

Additionally, runs were made with beam elements. Beam 188 and 189 were tried first. The results were
not good. Then the check on when not to use Beam 188 and 189 was done. Beam 4 was used and showed
decent results.

Things kept getting interesting as the analyses were done. We eventually ran out of time. But there was so
much more we wanted to do. We did not get to the Coriolis and Gyroscopic effects using ANSYS.
Overall it was interesting. We do hope that development will continue because for rotordynamics the
desire is to stay in one software environment. Therefore, we expect that all that we desire to do will be
available in ANSYS in the future.

References
1) Vance, John M., Rotordynamics of Turbomachinery, Wiley-Interscience Publication: New York, 1988,
1st edition
2) Wowk, Victor, Machinery Vibration, McGraw-Hill: New York, 1991, 1st edition