Nonlinear analysis of a rub-impact rotor supported by turbulent couple stress fluid film journal bearings under quadratic damping

This work reports a numerical study undertaken to investigate the dynamic response of a rotor supported by two turbulent flow model journal bearings with nonlinear suspension and lubricated with couple stress fluid under quadratic damping. This may be the first time that analysis of rotor-bearing system considered the quadratic damping effect. The dynamic response of the rotor center and bearing center are studied. The analysis methods employed in this study are inclusive of the dynamic trajectories of the rotor center and bearing center, power spectra, Poincaré maps and bifurcation diagrams. The maximum Lyapunov exponent analysis is also used to identify the onset of chaotic motion. The modeling results provide some useful insights into the design and development of rotor-bearing system for rotating machinery that operates at highly rotational speed and highly nonlinear regimes.