Electromechanical simulation and testing of actively controlled rotordynamic systems with piezoelectric actuators

A method is presented for simulating the coupled 'electromechanical' system to predict rotordynamic stability and unbalance response along with control system stability. The piezoelectric actuators and their amplifiers are represented as equivalent linear electrical circuits. The electromechanical system modeling approach is utilized to correlate test results from a double overhung rotor rig. The test results also show the effectiveness of the control system for suppressing the unbalance response of two modes using active stiffness and active damping.