Abstract

The present study focuses on the effect of staggered integration factor (SIF) on Morton effect simulation results. The Morton effect is a synchronous rotordynamic instability problem caused by the temperature differential across the journal in fluid film bearings. Convection and conduction of heat in the thin film displaces the hot spot, which is the hottest circumferential position in the thin film, from -20 to 40 degrees ahead of the high spot, where the minimum film clearance is experienced. The temperature differential across the journal causes a bending moment and the corresponding thermal bow in the rotating frame acts like a distributed synchronous excitation in the fixed frame. This thermal bow may cause increased vibrations and continued growth of the synchronous orbit into a limit cycle. The SIF is developed assuming that the response of the rotor-lubricant-bearing dynamic system is much quicker than that of the bearing-journal thermal system, and it is defined as the ratio between the simulation time of the thermal system and the rotor-spinning period. The use of the SIF is unavoidable for efficient computing. The value of the SIF is chosen empirically by the software users as a value between 100 and 400. However, the effect of the SIF on Morton effect simulation results has not been investigated. This research produces simulation results with different values of SIF.