Automatic balancing of flexible vertical rotors using a guided ball

Automatic balancing of flexible vertical rotors using a ball guided to move freely in a circular groove housed in the rotor disk is studied. The dynamic interaction between the balancing ball and the rotor is investigated using an undamped three-degrees-of-freedom system model in a rotating reference frame. The centrifugal force on the balancing-ball moves it to a relative rest position in the groove and thereby modifies the effective rotor unbalance. The stability of balancing ball position during the rotor whirling motion is analyzed and the conditions under which the unbalanced rotor vibration can be neutralized by the automatic balancer are identified. The stability results are presented graphically to facilitate an effective automatic balancer design. The results show that the automatic balancer can neutralize the unbalance whirling motion of the rotor, when operated at speeds higher than its critical speed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.