Investigating Inertia’s Effects on Centrifugal Pendulum Vibration Absorbers Using Multibody Dynamics and Shooting Analysis

Centrifugal pendulum vibration absorbers (CPVAs) are efficient devices for reducing torsional vibrations in rotating machinery. This study focuses on a circular-path unifilar CPVA and investigates its nonlinear behavior.

A multibody dynamics (MBD) model of a CPVA-rotor system with two rotors was developed. The system's nonlinear behavior was analyzed using the shooting method to ensure model accuracy. Time integration results were used to validate the shooting method's outcomes. Frequency response analysis was conducted across a range of rotational speeds, including critical speeds, to evaluate the CPVA's vibration suppression performance.

The combination of MBD and shooting methods proved effective in analyzing the CPVA-rotor system with high accuracy. The study investigated the effects of varying the CPVA's radius of gyration while keeping mass constant. It was observed that small CPVA inertia or large excitation amplitudes could lead to saddle-node bifurcation, resulting in jump phenomena and large amplitude vibrations. Ranges of radius length and excitation amplitudes that prevent bifurcation were identified. Experimental results corroborated the numerical findings, including the observed frequency responses and bifurcation points.

The combination of MBD and shooting methods offers an innovative approach for accurate CPVA system analysis. The study demonstrates the significant effect of CPVA inertia on vibration suppression performance. Experimental validation confirms the numerical analysis results, ensuring their reliability.