Dynamic modeling and vibration analysis of bolted flange joint disk-drum structures: Theory and experiment

Abstract

Bolted flange joint disk-drum structures (BFJDSs) are key components in aero-engines, in which fatigue damage often occurs due to structural vibration. However, no study has so far given an effective theoretical dynamic model of BFJDSs. In this study, an effective dynamic model of BFJDSs is proposed. The present model considers the flange effect, non-uniform contact pressure of bolted joint, and bolt mass. The theoretical expression for describing the stiffness variation of bolted joints is presented. During the modeling process, the energy functions of disk, drum, and flange are obtained according to the Kirchhoff plate, Sanders’ shell, and Euler-Bernoulli beam theories, respectively. The non-uniform artificial spring technique is adopted to simulate the pressure distribution of bolted joint. This method is capable of taking into account the contact pressure, which is closer to real contact situation. The displacement functions of disk and drum are expanded by using the Chebyshev orthogonal polynomials, and the motion equations are obtained by employing the Lagrange equation. Then, the experimental studies are performed on BFJDSs to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical model. Finally, the frequency veering and coupling vibration phenomena are revealed. The comparison studies indicate that the established theoretical model can well predict the vibration characteristics of BFJDSs under both bolt looseness and no-looseness conditions. The maximum error can be reduced from 46.81% to 3.61% by using the present dynamic model.