Dynamic response of two rotors connected by rigid mechanical coupling with parallel misalignment

The effect of parallel misalignment on the lateral and torsional responses of two rotating shafts (Jeffcott rotors) is examined with theoretical and numerical analysis. The general equations of motion are derived and given in dimensionless form to represent the general case. The equations of motion revealed that parallel misalignment couples the translation and angular deflections through the stiffness matrix and the force vector. The non-linear equations are solved numerically using a combination of Newmark and Newton-Raphson methods to determine the dimensionless frequency and transient responses in terms of misalignment magnitude. The numerical results show that the system natural frequencies are excited at transient condition due to the presence of pure parallel misalignment. At steady state condition, the 1 x -rotational speed excitation is present in the translation and angular directions, which indicates that parallel misalignment can be a source of both torsional and lateral excitations. (C) 2002 Academic Press.