Vibration characteristics of dual-rotor system with staggered-type double elastic ring squeeze film dampers under maneuvering flight

•Novel structure of staggered-type double elastic ring squeeze film dampers (SDERSFD): the staggered design improves stability, reduces deformation risks, and boosts rotor system reliability.•Dynamic maneuvering model: comprehensive simulation of dual-rotor dynamics during maneuvering, accounting for multiple forces.•Large overload conditions dampers evaluation: verifies SDERSFDs performance during dive-pull up under extreme overloads.•Factors analysis: explores how maneuvering speed, radius, rotor speed, and unbalance affect system response. The vibration of the rotor system is significantly intensified during maneuvering flight, rendering traditional elastic ring squeeze film dampers (ERSFDs) insufficient or unstable. To improve the applicability of dampers, a novel structure of staggered-type double elastic ring squeeze film dampers (SDERSFD) is proposed in this paper. Through the synergistic effect of double elastic rings, the damping effect is significantly enhanced, and the circumferential stiffness anisotropy of the damper is improved, which is more suitable for vibration reduction requirements under complex working conditions. Utilizing the Reynolds equation, the internal and external pressure field control equations of the double elastic rings are established. The finite difference method is then employed to solve the dynamic characteristics of the damper. Additionally, a finite element model of the dual-rotor system with SDERSFDs considering complex dynamic factors such as unbalanced force, oil film force, gravity, and additional inertial force caused by maneuvering flight is established for the study of nonlinear rotor dynamic characteristics and the analysis of SDERSFDs vibration reduction effect. Based on the model, the influence of various factors such as maneuvering speed, maneuvering radius, rotor speed and unbalance on the transient response of dive-pull up condition is analyzed. The results reveal that during dive-pull up, the vibration of the rotor system intensifies significantly. When compared with the ERSFDs, the SDERSFDs effectively reduce the vibration amplitudes of the rotor system under maneuvering flight condition, achieving the maximum vibration reduction ratio of 48.9%. Furthermore, the SDERSFD exhibits robustness against large maneuvering loads, enhancing the stability of the rotor system under extreme conditions.