Dynamic characterization of noise and vibration transmission paths in linear cyclic systems (I)

Abstract

Linear cyclic systems (LCS’s) are a class of systems whose dynamic behavior changes periodically. Such a cyclic behavior is ubiquitous in systems with fundamentally repetitive motion. Yet, the knowledge of the noise and vibration transmission paths in LCS’s is quite limited due to the time-varying nature of their dynamics. The first part of this two-part paper derives a generic expression that describes how the noise and/or vibration are transmitted between two (or multiple) points in the LCS’s. In Part II, experimental validation of the theoretical development of Part I is provided. The noise and vibration transmission paths of the scroll and rotary compressors (two typical LCS’s) are examined to show that the LCS’s indeed generate a series of amplitude modulated input signals at the output, where the carrier frequencies are harmonic multiples of the LCS’ fundamental frequency. The criterion proposed in Part I to determine how well a given LCS can be approximated as a linear time-invariant systems (LTIS) is applied to the noise and vibration transmission paths of the two compressors. Furthermore, the implications of the experimental validations/applications are discussed in order to assess the applicability of the noise/vibration source and transmission path identification techniques based on the assumption that the system under consideration is linear and time-invariant.