Abstract
A rotordynamic analysis was performed with a dry vacuum pump, which is a major equipment in modern semiconductor and LCD manufacturing processes. The system is composed of screw rotors, lobes picking air, helical gears, driving motor, and support rolling element bearings of rotors and motor. The driving motor-screw rotor system has a rated speed of 6,300 rpm, and was modeled utilizing a rotordynamic FE method for analysis, which was verified through 3-D FE analysis and experimental modal analysis. As loadings on the bearings due to the gear action were significant in the system considered, each resultant bearing load was calculated by considering the generalized forces of the gear action as well as the rotor itself. Each resultant bearing loading was used in calculating each stiffness of rolling element bearings. Design goals are to achieve wide separation margins of lateral and torsional critical speeds, and favorable unbalance responses of the rotor in the operating range. Then, a complex rotordynamic analysis of the system was carried out to evaluate its forward synchronous critical speeds, whirl natural frequencies and mode shapes, unbalance responses under various unbalance locations, and torsional interference diagram. Results show that the entire system is well designed in the operating range. In addition, the procedure of rotordynamic analysis for dry vacuum pump rotor-bearing system was proposed and established.