Rotordynamic instability field problems

Vibration data obtained during several rotor instability investigations is presented to illustrate the effect of changes in system parameters on overall rotor stability. The data includes the effects of bearing and seal changes as well as those due to variations in speed and pressure ratio. Field Problems indicate that the stability of rotors is often highly sensitive to fairly minor variations in bearing and seal parameters. Measured field data is valuable in normalizing analytical computer models so that effective solutions can be obtained.