Rotor vibration control via integral magnetorheological damper

Despite of wide applications of damping support structures in rotor vibration reduction, their performance is generally unsatisfactory in the high-frequency range. A new method of oil-film zoning control for a novel integral magnetorheological damper (IMRD) with a compact design and enhanced performance is proposed to extend the rotor vibration reduction to the high-frequency range. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed IMRD, firstly, a nonlinear dynamic model is established by using the Lagrange equation and introduced into a flexible rotor system. Then, the dynamic behaviors of the system are investigated in framework of the Newmark-beta method, upon which the influence of different oil-film zones is evaluated. Finally, experiments are conducted to investigate the vibration reduction performance of the IMRD on rotor system. The results show that there are at least three pressure zones for IMRD in operating conditions, of which one can produce negative normal oil-film force. Moreover, different pressure zones have different effects on dynamic coefficients of IMRD, which makes the proposed IMRD capable of achieving excellent vari-stiffness and vari-damping effects through oil-film zoning control, and leads to the vibration reduction of rotor system not only in the resonance range by providing effective damping but also in the high-frequency range by softening the support stiffness. This work demonstrates a new strategy for dampers in rotor systems to broaden the vibration reduction bandwidth and provides guidance for the implementation of IMRD.