= \~JL
The time of a complete vibration is ?- rr .
. \j/ is called the "critical speed," and considerable dis-
turbance occurs however when o> reaches this value. No mathe-
matical account has ever been given of the exact action.
Suppose now that w is made to exceed the critical speed. Then
the denominator of the expression (i) becomes negative, and in
order to have a positive value for r we must make a negative also.
This is done by taking it in a direction opposite that of Fig. 4, so
that the center of gravity is inside of the center of bore, as in Fig.
5. Fig. 5 therefore represents the position of equilibrium when w
is greater than the critical speed if/. If we count a as essentially
positive in this position, the condition for equilibrium is
M R ^__
g
which reduces to
o_
(2)
a]
-39-
Here the greater the angular velocity to the less will be R. That
is to say, the center of gravity actually comes nearer to the center
of rotation as the speed increases. For any given rotative speed,
we secure this result by making tf = as small as possible,
M
which is accomplished by making K, which gives the stiffness of
the shaft, as small as possible. That is to say, the more flexible
the shaft the nearer the center of gravity comes to the center of
rotation. The center of gravity always rotates in a circle whose
radius is given by (2), however. The popular statement that " a
flexible shaft allows the disc to'rotate about its center of gravity "
is therefore erroneous. If the disc were to rotate about its .center
of gravity, the shaft would be deflected a distance a, so that there
would be an unbalanced deflection force a K.
The rotating force pulling on the bearings and tending to vi-
brate them, for the case of Fig. 5 is
g J _ g
K Mrf
This is diminished and the machine made to run with slight vi-
bration by making K, which gives the stiffness of the shaft, as
small as possible and Mthe weight of the disc, and o> the angu-
lar velocity, as great as possible. This is all expressed by the
statement that w -i- \f/ should be as great as possible. That is to
say, the working value of the speed should bear as great a ratio
as possible to the critical speed in order to reduce vibration of the
bearings.
The position of Fig. 4 is sometimes called rotation with the
"heavy side out" while that of Fig. 5 is rotation with the
" heavy side in." That is to say, if a mark be made during rota-
tion by touching the portion of the edge of the disc furthest from
the center of rotation, in order to find the place to cut away metal
in order to correct the balancing, then metal must be taken from
the side of disc nearest the mark if the speed is below the critical
speed, and from the side away from the mark if the speed is
above the critical speed.
The critical speed in radians per second we have found to be
t = \ K g. This reduces to [32.16 X 12 k = , 8? - 6 \~k
\| M 27T^J M ^-^r
revolutions per minute, where k is the load in pounds required to
deflect the shaft one inch and M is the total load in pounds sup-
posed concentrated at the shaft center.
4
As we have seen, Fig. 5 shows a position of equilibrium. We
have next to show that the equilibrum is stable. That is to say,
we must show that if any accidental cause displaces the center of
gravity from the position shown, it will return and not seek some
new position.* The balance of the chapter will be a tedious
proof of this fact.
In discussing the motion of the disc we will make use of the
well known fact that the center of gravity C moves as if all of
the forces acting on the disc were applied at it, the mass being
concentrated there also ; and that the disc rotates about the center
of gravity as if it w r ere fixed in space.
First we will consider the motion of the center of gravity only,
and will assume that the shaft is vertical. Suppose that the disc
is not rotating so that the B Fig. 5 will coincide with the point O.
Then the center of gravity C will assume a position C slightly
below O.
If the point B be displaced in any direction from O the elastic-
ity of the shaft will cause a force proportional to the displacement
tending to return B to O, We will suppose the disc displaced
without rotation, so that the center of gravity C will have an ex-
actly equal displacement from its position of rest C ' . Since the
center of gravity moves as if the displacement force acted on it,
we may consider that the center of gravity C is acted on by a force
proportional to its displacement from C '. The center of gravity
will then have a simple harmonic motion, and will vibrate back
and forth until the energy is absorbed by molecular friction. The
period of such a vibration is well known to be $ =& using the
notation already given.
The most general case of harmonic motion will be when two
displacements at different angles and at different times are given
to the disc. It will then vibrate in an ellipse with period \j/.
We may now apply any other forces to the shaft when it has
this vibration, and the disc will then have a displacement com-
pounded of that due to the vibration and that due to the new forces.
Suppose, for instance, we apply a pull to the center of gravity of
constant magnitude but of varying direction, rotating in fact with
* The discussion up to this point substantially as here given, was published
by Stodola in Zeitschrift des Vereines Deutscher Ingenieure, Vol. 47, Nos.
2 and 4, Jan. 10 and 24, 1903. However, the matter is given here since it
was prepared independently before the above publication. The balance of
this chapter is probably new. Stodola gives a treatment along totally dif-
ferent lines which does not seem satisfactory.
an angular velocity o>. So far as the shaft is concerned this force
will cause a rotating displacement, to be compounded with the
vibrating displacement. Such a rotating force is furnished by the
"centrifugal force," which is in equilibrium with the force due
to a rotating displacement R + a of the shaft center B. Hence
the disc may rotate in the position shown by Fig. 5, and at the
the same time have an elliptical vibration.
Conversely, if the disc be rotating in the position of Fig. 5, and
any accidental displacement be given to it, it will at once begin
to vibrate, in addition to the rotation, in the same way as it would
if the displacement were given to it when at rest.
The above reasoning is perfectly rigid, but nevertheless the step
is perhaps a large one to make at once. We will therefore at a
later period, for verification, form the differential equation of mo-
tion of the disc, and show that the integral gives a displacement
compounded of an elliptical vibration and a rotating displace-
ment R. Such a mathematical treatment hides the true nature
of the actions, however, and the method above used is much more
luminous.
It must be noted that if a displacement from the position of Fig.
5 be gived the disc during rotation, the resulting vibration will
always be parallel to the original displacement, and will not rotate
in direction. That is to say, if a displacement should happen to
be made in the direction of the instantaneous position of the radius
to the center of gravity, the vibration induced will not continue to
be radial, since then the direction of vibration would constantly
change, but it will be in a direction fixed in space parallel to the
initial direction.
If the elastic force resulting from an initially radial displace-
ment were always radial, it can be shown that the position of Fig.
5 would be unstable.
Any accidental displacement from the position of Fig. 5 will
therefore in general cause the point C to vibrate in an ellipse about
the equilibrium position, the axes of the ellipse always remaining
parallel to their original position in space. Owing to molecular
friction this vibration will soon die away, the size of the ellipse
gradually decreasing until the position of Fig. 5 is again reached.
Next let us consider the effect of the vibrations just considered
in causing rotation of the disc about the center of gravity. Let
Fig. 6 represent any instantaneous position of the points O, Z?and
C while C is making an elliptical vibration. The path of B will
be parallel since the vibrational displacements have involved no
42
rotation of the disc. The net force acting on the disc is then pro-
portional to O B. If the center of gravity is now fixed and a force
proportional to OB acts on B as shown, there will be a twisting
moment on the disc proportional to OB X CD, Fig. 6. This
twisting moment is resisted by the torsional elasticity of the shaft,
so that there is a tendency to produce torsional^ vibration.
Since all of the displacements are very small the shaft may be
considered as perfectly straight in computing the torsional elas-
ticity. Now, both O B and CD are very small quantities as com-
pared with the torsional elasticity, so that the angle through
which the shaft is rotated by the twisting moment OB x CD is
of the second order of small quantities and may be safely neglect-
ed. That is to say, a displacement of the disc has no appreciable
effect in causing additional rotation of the disc about its center of
gravity beyond that due to the constant angular velocity.
There is another possible displacement from the position of Fig.
5, consisting of a finite rotation of the disc so as to cause torsion
in the shaft, as shown in Fig. 7. If the angular velocity o> did
not exist, a torsional displacement would cause a harmonic tor-
sional oscillation of the disc about its center of grovity. The
FIG. 6.
Transverse
Vibration.
FIG. 7.
Torsional
Vibration.
FIG. 8.
Effect of
Gravity.
FIG. 9
Most General
Vibration.
twisting moment due to torsion of the shaft is a pure couple, so
that it causes rotation about the center of gravity, even though
the center of bore is at a different point. The period of the tor-
sional oscillation will be = \f-* using the notation already
given. If now the disc be given a constant angular velocity w in
addition to the torsional vibration, the latter will persist just as
before, so far as rotation of the disc about its center of gravity is
concerned.
The force due to the net deflection, proportional to OB, Fig. 7,
will here also give a twisting moment about the center of gravity
proportional to OB x CD. This is of the second order of small
quantities and will be neglected as before.
-43-
The line B C, Fig. 7, will therefore rotate with a constant an-
gular velocity o>, and also oscillate back and forth so as to make
a variable angle a with the normal position B' C' . Since a varies
harmonically with period <, we will have a = c t cos t. The in-
troduction of the constant angular velocity does not affect the har-
monic oscillation as already stated.
Next let us consider the effect of such a torsional oscillation on
the displacement of the center of gravity. Owing to the previ-
ously considered displacements without rotation, the points^ and
C were displaced equally beyond the displacement necessary to
balance the centrfugal force, SQ that the force acting on the center
of gravity could be taken as proportional to its own displacement.
Now we must consider that the force acting on the center of grav-
ity is proportional to the displacement of B beyond the position
necessary to balance the centrifugal force. This is not the dis-
placement of the center of gravity owing to the variable angle a.
The position of C without the vibration we are now considering
would be at a distance R from O, Fig. 7, near C ', and owing to
the addition of the vibration will be supposed to be C at any in-
stant. The vibration we are considering is the absolute vibration
of the center of gravity in space in addition to the constant rota-
tion.
Suppose we put OC' = = fi-\-v and C C' = rj and resolve
forces and accelerations along and perpendicular to the moving
axis O C' . v and rj will then give the departures from the equi-
librium position due to the vibration we are considering.
The force perpendicular to the axis is AT X B B' or K(-rj +
flsina), since we have CC' = t] = BB' a sin a. Since a will
always be small we take a instead of sin a. We have already re-
marked that a = r t cos t, so that the force perpendicular to the
moving axis is K '(rj -f- ac^ cos t}.
The total force in the direction of the moving axis is
- K X O C or K ( + a cos a).
Now a portion of this, K (R + ), is required to maintain equi-
librium against the centrifugal force, so that the remaining force,
K ' (y a -f- a cos a), is the force in the direction of the moving
axis tending to cause the vibration we are considering. Since a
is small we may for a second approximation put cos a i, so that
the force becomes Kv. The accelerations along and perpendic-
ular to a moving axis are respectively (Routh's Rigid Dynamics,
Vol. I, page 176),
d 2 2 i d ,
44-
^9_,.+L _)
Since w is constant we may reduce the final terms. Also substi-
tuting in terms of v, we have as the accelerations,
_-_.
Now the term R w 2 gives the acceleration due to the rotation in
the equilibrium position so that the acceleration due to the added
vibration alone is found by omitting this term. We have already
omitted the corresponding centrifugal force, K '(R + a).
Bquating the forces previously found along and perpendicular
to the moving axis to the forces required to produce the above ac-
celerations we have
,2 , . .-. d 2 77 o i d v
^ 2 (77 -fa^COS^O = ' 7?a> 2 -f 20)-.
at at
This is a pair of simultaneous linear differential equations whose
solution is complicated. The integration will be omitted and the
integrals only given. These will be found correct by substitution
in the equations.
v = 2 B to < sin < /
y = _ B O 2 - co 2 - < 2 ) cos t
where
Since v and rj are displacements along and perpendicular to the
rotating axis O C' , and since the values above evidently repre-
sent a harmonic motion in an ellipse with axes in these directions,
it follows that any accidental torsional displacement will cause a
vibration of the center of gravity with period < in an ellipse whose
axes rotate with an angular velocity w, one of them always coin-
ciding with the radius vector to Ihe equilibrium position of the
center of gravity. This is in addition to the simultaneous tor-
sional oscillation of the disc and shaft. This oscillation and con-
sequently the vibration of the center of gravity induced by it will
of course rapidly die out owing to molecular friction, so that the
equilibrium position of Fig. 5 will be again reached.
-45-
We have always supposed a vertical shaft so that gravity
need not be considered. Let us now make the shaft hori-
zontal and take gravity into account. First taking all the
forces as acting on the center of gravity, we will have a down-
ward pull M and an equal upward pull due to a down-
ward deflection of the shaft, the displacement of the disc
M
being ^> The point C will therefore rotate in a circle of radius
R whose center is O Fig. 8, a distance below the axis of ro-
JK
tation O'.
Next let us consider if rotation occurs about the center of grav-
ity due to the action of the weight as shown in Fig 8. If the
center of gravity Cbe fixed there will be a force proportional to
the net deflection O B acting at B, tending to rotate the disc and
resisted by the torsional elasticity of the shaft. The twisting
moment will be proportional to O B X CD, Fig. 8, and will
therefore be a small quantity of the second order, so that the
torsional vibration induced will be negligible just as in the pre-
vious cases.
We have now analysed the matter completely and taken ac-
count of everything which can occur. The methods used have
been chosen so as to show most clearly the actual nature of the
various actions, and have perhaps been rather inelegant mathe-
matically. We will therefore go through with the matter again
from a strictly mathematical standpoint for verification of our re-
sults. This treatment is distinctly obscure so far as the nature
of the action is concerned however.
Fig. 9 shows the most general position of the various points.
Since we have a rotation with angular velocity w, induced by an
external source, we take as a reference line an axis rotating with
this velocity and therefore making an angle t 8)
g dt
Evidently
p cos (co / 8) = x + a cos (w t -f a)
p sin (w / 8) = jj/ + a sin (w /f + a) .
Hence, our force equations may be written
^.= - ^ { x + a cos (o, / + a) j
2 /* *\
^^ = ^ 2 J j/ -f a sin (w / + a) I g.
In order to integrate these we must find an expression for a.
This we do by forming the equation of rotation about the center
of gravity, assuming that it is fixed and that all of the forces act
to cause rotation about it'.
The force moment equation then is
We have
dt* dt*'
Now A' si n (a -f 8) is of the same order of magnitude as L a.
p and a are both small quantities so that their product is of the
second order of small quantities, and therefore negligible. Hence
the term Kp a sin (a -f- 8) is negligble as compared with L a.
This amounts to saying that the twisting moment A" X OB X
CD, Fig. 9 can never cause an appreciable torsional vibration of
the shaft.
Hence we have
This is a linear equation whose solution is well known to be
a = c v cos t.
There is in general a second arbitrary constant which we may
take zero without loss of generality, beginning our count of time
from the instant when the vibration is at one extreme.
47-
It is to be remarked that a variable twisting moment would
really be required to drive the shaft at the constant angular
velocity w, owing to the variation of a and of the shaft displace-
ment perpendicular to the reference line. Both of these should
be balanced by a variable external twisting force in order that
there should be no angular Deceleration at the extremity of the
shaft. However, there are usually rotating bodies with consider-
able mass geared to the shaft, and the inertia of these serves to
prevent any appreciable angular acceleration.
Substituting our value of a in the force equations above, and
taking a as small so that we can put cos a=r i sin a = a, we have
5 -f ^ x if/ 2 a cos w t H- V 2 # *\ cos < t sin w /
d 2 v
5 + "fy ^ 2 # sin t cos o> t g.
These are linear differential equations which are integrated by
well known methods which we need not consider here. The form
to which we reduce the integrals has been arranged to exhibit
the various individual vibrations already discussed.
The integrals are
x = R cos o> / -f c 3 cos ft cos O / + ft ) + <: 3 sin ft sin O t + ft)
-f- B \ ( i/f 2 to 2 < 2 ) sin co t cos t + 2 co < cos co / sin ^> / !
sin co t sin )/[
3 K
the arbitrary constants of the initial displacements. These are
evidently the projections on the J^and Y axes of the following :
A rotation in a circle of radius R with a constant angular velocity
o>, an elliptica 1 vibration with axes fixed in space and angular
velocity ^, an elliptical vibration with axes along and perpendic-
ular to the moving reference axis and angular velocity <, and a
displacement vertically downward. These are the motions already
found otherwise the coefficients also agreeing. Hence, we con-
clude finally that the most general possible motion will consist of
vibrations about the position of Fig. 5, which will die out ow-
ing to molecular friction so that the actual position of Fig. 5 will
always be reached.
CHAPTER VI.
EXPERIMENTS WITH A GAS TURBINE.
This portion of the investigation of the gas turbine, really the
most important of all, has unfortunately turned cfUt in a very un-
satisfactory manner. So far as principles are concerned all of the
statements previously made were found correct, but no actual re-
sults were obtained. After many failures a gas turbine was
actually operated, but the net output was negative. That is to
say, the turbine wheel did not even yield enough power to com-
press the air required. This result is to be attributed solely to
the crudness of the apparatus used. The apparatus was arranged
very much like the diagram of Fig. 2, except that the air was
supplied by an independent source and the whole output of the
wheel measured by a brake.
Considerable difficulty was found in igniting the air and oil and
starting the continuous combustion under pressure. A successful
method of doing this was finally found however. Next trouble
occured in securing smokeless combustion, which was also over-
come. After this the combustion gave no further trouble, and
gases at a white hot temperature issued from the nozzle with per-
fect regularity. However, the nozzles first used were soon de-
stoyed. After many experiments a nozzle was built which lasted
a reasonable time. Permanent success was not attained, however.
The turbine wheel used was that from a very small DeL,aval
steam turbine and was about 5 inches mean diameter. The best
speed was found to be about 19,000 revolutions per minute, and at
this speed about 3 horsepower was developed. About 4 horse-
power was theoretically required to compress the air.
No experimental work was done in the way of varying the
pressure, the shape of the nozzle, and the shape of wheel buckets.
There is of course an almost infinite field for variation in these
particulars and the writer has no doubt that experiments in these
directions will ultimately be crowned with success.
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