Transient Analysis of Thermal Bending and Vibration of Steam Turbine Rotor

Rotor-bearing systems often exhibit nonlinear behavior due to hydrodynamic effects and external forces. Finite element methods based on linear analysis are commonly used for rotor dynamic analyses, where nonlinear bearing/damping forces are linearized into equivalent stiffness and damping coefficients. However, this method may not accurately describe strongly nonlinear systems. Engineers use transient analysis and nonlinear models to improve rotor behavior analysis. This study investigates the effects of transient-thermal bending and vibration on a high-pressure steam turbine rotor using the finite element method. A scaled rotor-shaft was used to study thermal bending and vibrations caused by steam heat. The design of the shaft was based on an existing power station high-pressure turbine rotor. Numerical modal analyses were performed using ANSYS software to obtain a partial level of integrity between the numerical model and the analytical model. Natural frequencies were compared between the experimental, numerical, and analytical results, which showed good correlations.