Dynamic analysis of a helical geared rotor-bearing system with composite rotating shafts

Purpose This study aims to study the dynamic characteristics of a helical geared rotor-bearing system with composite material rotating shafts. Design/methodology/approach A finite element model of a helical geared rotor-bearing system with composite material rotating shafts is developed, in which the rotating shafts of the system are composed of composite material and modeled as Timoshenko beam; a rigid mass is used to represent the gear and their gyroscopic effect is taken into account; bearings are modeled as linear spring-damper; and the equations of motion are obtained by applying Lagrange’s equation. Natural frequencies, mode description, lateral responses, axial responses, lamination angles, lamination numbers, gear mesh stiffness and bearing damping coefficients are investigated. Findings The desired mechanical properties could be constructed using different lamination numbers and fiber included angles by composite rotating shafts. The frequency of the lateral module decreases as the included angle of the fibers and the principal shaft of the composite material rotating shaft increase. Because of the gear mesh stiffness increase, the resonance frequency of the coupling module of the system decreases, the lateral module is not influenced and the steady-state response decreases. The amplitude of the steady-state lateral and axial responses gradually decreases as the bearing damping coefficient increases. Practical implications The model of a helical geared rotor-bearing system with composite material rotating shafts is established in this paper. The dynamic characteristics of a helical geared rotor-bearing system with composite rotating shafts are investigated. The numerical results of this study can be used as a reference for subsequent personnel research. Originality/value The dynamic characteristics of the geared rotor-bearing system had been reported in some literature. However, the dynamic analysis of a helical geared rotor-bearing system with composite material rotating shafts is still rarely investigated. This paper shows some novel results of lateral and axial response results obtained by different lamination angles and different lamination numbers. In the future, it makes valuable contributions for further development of dynamic analysis of a helical geared rotor-bearing system with composite material rotating shafts.