A Novel Twin-Shaft Rotor with Active Magnetic Couplings for Vibration Control

A novel rotor topology is proposed with the goal of reducing vibration in high speed rotor systems. Primarily, reduction in synchronous vibration at critical speeds is targeted. In essence, the novel topology consists of a hollow tube rotor coupled to a secondary non-rotating shaft through a number of actively managed magnetic couplings. An outline of the new topology is provided, along with a finite element analysis comparing the out-of-balance vibration response of the proposed rotor to a comparable simple rotor. Designs for a test rig based on this topology are presented, together with an outline of anticipated testing and potential future development of the idea.