Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/2695
Date of Award
8-2023
Degree Name
MS in Mechanical Engineering
Department/Program
Mechanical Engineering
College
College of Engineering
Advisor
Xi Wu
Advisor Department
Mechanical Engineering
Advisor College
College of Engineering
Abstract
Apex-Adams-Simulink co-simulation is applied to active magnetic bearing (AMB) rotors, demonstrating results unshown in literature, including continuous frequency response, and unavailable in known rotor dynamics software, including touchdown bearing impact. AMBs levitate rotors without contact, so they involve no friction, wear, lubrication, pollution, or shaft speed limits and are thus valuable for large, high-speed applications. Modeling of such rotors, necessary for safety and performance, simultaneously requires flexible body dynamics and advanced control design, but simulation programs tend to specialize in only one or the other. The co-simulation method combines multiple such programs—MSC Apex (finite element modeling), Adams (multibody dynamics), and Simulink (graphical control design) with MATLAB (visualization tools)—expanding the design space for AMB rotor modeling beyond that of available commercial software. In this work, accuracy of co-simulation to theory is validated through a rigid AMB rotor and a hanging disk on a steel wire, and new results are shown for a flexible anisotropic rotor and a simplified touchdown bearing impact test.