Vibration control of rotor system by ultrasonic excited limiter

We propose a novel method with an ultrasonically excited structure as a vibration limiter to control the vibration of rotor systems. The friction between the rotor and the limiter is significantly reduced by ultrasonic lubrication, thereby preventing the occurrence of rubbing-induced thermal bowing, which is commonly observed in traditional vibration limiters. In our study, the friction reduction mechanism of the ultrasonically excited vibration limiter was first examined based on tribology theory and Hertz contact theory. The vibration control effects and the alleviation of thermal bowing were then investigated by numerical simulation. Finally, vibration control experiments were performed on a Bentley test rig with the ultrasonically excited vibration limiter. The consistency between theoretical and experimental results confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method.