A non-linear study of a cracked rotor

The influence of the presence of transverse cracks in a rotating shaft is analyzed. The paper addresses the influence of crack opening and closing on dynamic response during operation. The evolution of the orbit of the cracked rotor near half and one-third of the first critical speed is investigated. The dynamic response of the rotor with a breathing crack is evaluated by expanding the changing stiffness of the crack as a truncated Fourier series and then using the Harmonic Balance Method. This method is applied to compute various parametric studies including the effects of the crack depth and location on the dynamic of a crack rotor. The evolution of the first critical speed, associated amplitudes at the critical speed and half of the critical speed, and the resulting orbits during transient operation are presented and some distinguishing features of a cracked rotor are examined.