Abstract
Squeeze film dampers (SFDs) have been commonly used to effectively enhance the dynamic behavior of the rotating shaft supported by rolling element bearings. However, due to the recent trends of high operating speed, high load capacity and light weight in rotating machinery, it is becoming increasingly important to change the dynamic characteristics of rotating machines in operation so that the excessive vibrations, which may occurparticularly when passing through critical speeds or unstable regions, can be avoided. Semi-active type SFDs using magneto-rheological fluid (MR fluid), which responds to an applied magnetic field with a change in rheological behavior, are introduced in order to find its applications to rotating machinery as an effective device attenuating unbalance responses. In this paper, a semi-active SFD using MR fluid is designed, tested, and identified to investigate the capability of changing its dynamic properties such as damping and stiffness.In order to apply the MR-SFD to the vibration attenuation of a rotor, a systematic approach for determining the damper's optimal location is investigated, and also, a control algorithm that could improve the unbalance response characteristics of a flexible rotor is proposed and its control performance is validated with a numerical example.