Acoustoelastic Modes in Rotor-Cavity Systems: An Overview on Frequency Shift Effects Supported with Measurements

With an increase in fluid densities in centrifugal compressors, fluid-structure interaction and coupled acoustoelastic modes receive growing attention to avoid machine failure. Besides the vibrational behavior of the impeller, acoustic modes building up in the side cavities need to be understood to ensure safe and reliable operation. In a coupled system, these structure and acoustic dominant modes influence each other. Therefore, a comprehensive overview of frequency shift effects in rotor-cavity systems is established based on findings in the literature. Additionally, experimental results on coupled mode pairs in a rotor-cavity test rig with a rotating disk under varying operating conditions are presented. Measurement results for structure dominant modes agree well with theoretical predictions. The development of a forward and a backward traveling wave is demonstrated for each mode in case of disk rotation. Conducted experiments reveal the occurrence of weakly and strongly coupled mode pairs as frequency shifts are observed that cannot solely be explained by “uncoupled mode effects”, such as the added mass, speed of sound, and stiffening effect, but indicate an additional coupling effect. However, the hypothesis of a bigger frequency shift for stronger coupled modes cannot be corroborated consistently. Only for the strongly coupled four nodal diameter mode pair in the “wide cavity” setup, a coupling effect is clearly visible in the form of mode veering.