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Identification of orbit responses can make the active protection operation more easily realize for active magnetic bearings (AMB) in case of touchdowns. This paper presents an identification method of the orbit responses rooting on signal processing of rotor displacements during touchdowns. The recognition method consists of two major steps. Firstly, the combined rub and bouncing is distinguished from the other orbit responses by the mathematical expectation of axis displacements of the rotor. Because when the combined rub and bouncing occurs, the rotor of AMB will not be always close to the touchdown bearings (TDB). Secondly, we recognize the pendulum vibration and the full rub by the Fourier spectrum of displacement in horizontal direction, as the frequency characteristics of the two responses are different. The principle of the whole identification algorithm is illustrated by two sets of signal generated by a dynamic model of the specific rotor-TDB system. The universality of the method is validated by other four sets of signal. Besides, the adaptability of noise is also tested by adding white noises with different strengths, and the result is promising. As the mathematical expectation and Discrete Fourier transform are major calculations of the algorithm, the calculation quantity of the algorithm is low, so it is fast, easily realized and embedded in the AMB controller, which has an important engineering value for the protection of AMBs during touchdowns.

During touchdowns of active magnetic bearings (AMB), the violent collision between rotors and touchdown bearings (TDB) can cause damages to both parts. Orbit response recognition provides a way for the AMB controller to automatically switch the control algorithm to actively suppress the rotor–TDB vibration and promptly relevitate the rotor during touchdowns. A novel method based on Hilbert transform (HT) is proposed to recognize the orbit responses (pendulum vibration, combined rub and bouncing, and full rub) in touchdowns. In this method, the rotor suspension status is monitored by the AMB controller in real-time. When touchdown is detected, the rotor displacement signal during the sampling period is intercepted, and the instantaneous frequency (IF) is calculated by HT. Then, the local variance of IF during the sampling period is calculated, and it is compared with the threshold value. Combined rub and bouncing can be identified for it has the largest local variance. Finally, the mean value of IF during the sampling period is calculated and is compared with the other threshold value. Pendulum vibration can be identified for it has a lower and fixed mean value, while full rub has a larger value. The principle of the recognition method is demonstrated by the simulated results of a thermo-dynamic model. The results reveal that the method is feasible in recognizing the orbit responses and can be implemented in the AMB controller to help switch the control algorithms automatically in case of touchdowns.