1- Introduction

2- Crack Types.

3- Cracked rotor behavior during start/up and coast down

4- Mode shapes and its effects on cracked Rotor

5- Vibration Response due to Cracked Rotor

6- Vibration amplitude and stiffness variation du to cracked Rotor

 1- Introduction
Recent interest in the problem of cracked rotors arises from safety and economic
considerations the cost of replacement of large turbogenerator rotors versus loss of
personnel and production from a wreek.

2- Crack Type.
Theoretical studies have been conducted on the breathing crack where the crack
area opens and close as a result of bending due to rotor weight as the shaft rotates.

A permanently open crack exhibits the characteristics of shaft asymmetry ,

therefore, only the breathing crack will be covered here allowing that the symptoms
of shaft asymmetry may result from a cracked rotor.
 3- Cracked rotor behavior during start/up and coast down
Grabowski has shown that excitation resulting from a "breathing" cracked rotor
causes once and twice per revolution vibrations - both independent of mass
unbalance. However, the effects of the cracked rotor can combine with mass
unbalance response to make the vibration greater or less than prior to crack initiation.
Therefore, the vibration will be dependent on the location of the crack position relative
to the mass unbalance whereas a gaping crack causes exclusively twice per
revolution vibrations. The critical speed of the once-per-revolution vibrations will be
lowered due to the crack. Due to the twice- per-revolution excitation "half critical
speeds" can be obtained (Figure 22) for both the first and second critical speeds.

4- Mode shapes and its effects on cracked Rotor

If a symmetrical rotor has a crack in its center, the second twice-per-

revolution critical speed will completely disappear because the second mode
(Figure 23) shows no curvature at the shaft center. Vibration amplitudes will be
largest when the shaft is cracked at a position where the mode shape has the
largest curvature. Therefore, the vibration response due to a cracked rotor will
depend on the depth of the crack and its location on the shaft.
By knowing the mode shapes, it may help to determine the location. Simple
changes in mass unbalance location will also aid in the diagnosis of the cracked
rotor; i.e., a decrease in vibration with an apparent increase in mass unbalance.
5- Vibration Response due to Cracked Rotor

The vibration response of a low- p r e s s u r e turbine was calculated by

Grabowski f o r varied crack depth. The crack was assumed to be
located near the rotor center. When the once-per-revolution vibrations
due to mass unbalance and cracked shaft have the same phase
relationship, they add as shown by the right bearing (Figure 24). If the
vibrations are oppositely phased, then the crack will reduce the vibration
as shown at the left bearing.
 6- Vibration amplitude and stiffness variation du to cracked Rotor

The presence of a crack on the shaft results in the stiffhess variation as a function of
time. In most rotor dynamic analysis, the system response is obtained in the form of
steady state amplitude data at each operational speed. In the case of transient
analysis, the dynamic response can be obtained using time marching techniques. In
this study Runge-Kutta method was employed to numerically solve equations of
motion (Eq. (7a) and (7b)). The nonlinear responses of rotor passing through the
critical speed with several values of constant angular acceleration ratios.