Vibration Simulation of the Turbine Rotor System of an Underwater Vehicle Considering the Bearing Radial Clearance

The turbine rotor system (TRS) is one important part of an underwater vehicle (UV). Its vibration and noise characteristics can greatly affect the performance and service life of the UV. To study the influence of radial clearance of supporting bearings on the vibrations of the whole TRS of the UV, a flexible dynamic model of the TRS is established by using the finite element and multi-body methods. Vibrations of the TRS from the rigid and flexible dynamic models under different bearing clearance conditions are analyzed. Note that the TRS with the flexible body model can obtain more accurate vibrations than the rigid one. The maximum vibration amplitude increases with the increment of bearing clearance. The bearing clearance of 5 μm to 20 μm is more reasonable for controlling the system vibration. The smaller clearance of supporting bearings of the TRS can cause more stable vibration responses. This paper can provide additional guidance for the accurate simulation analysis method of the TRSs of the UVs.