Control of the breathing mechanism of a cracked rotor by using electro-magnetic actuator: numerical study

This paper presents a numerical study devoted to the evaluation of the possibility of monitoring and controlling the dynamic behavior of a rotating machine with a cracked shaft by using an Electro-Magnetic Actuator (EMA). The EMA is located at the mid-span of the rotor to provide active control. The opening and closure (breathing) of the crack is determined by the stress field over its cross section resulting from the dynamic bending moment. The system is nonlinear due to the fact that the crack parameters must be determined for each time step and the EMA introduces forces that are inversely proportional to the square of the gap value between the stator and the rotor. The model developed takes into account the behavior of the crack and the inuence of the EMA. Simulations were carried out to access the possibility of controlling the breathing mechanism. The results obtained demonstrate the possibility of using the EMA in order to keep the crack closed along the rotation of the rotor, thus forming a self-healing scheme for the cracked rotor.