Landing Tests with a 6300rpm, 9t AMB Rotor in Rolling Element Back-Up Bearings

This article describes a systematic approach to qualify backup bearings for very large rotors levitated by active magnetic bearings (AMB). The approach comprises dynamic simulations of the landing events prior to the testing with good prediction quality as part of the safety concept. The approach was applied for the backup bearing qualification of a 9t rotor with a rotational speed up to 6420rpm. The results of the landing tests are shown and compared with the simulation results.