Experimental investigation and modelling of the noise and vibration in screw compressors

Abstract This article presents work on the extension of torsional models development for screw compressors. These compressors are common in industry and their vibration behavior and signature are very important. When neglected in the design, it can lead to torsional or structural resonance or lateral vibration in the machine during operation and in the worst case to catastrophic failure of the machine. The screw compressors presented here are used for bulk transport on trucks. They are designed and built by CVS Engineering GmbH. Measurements in the lab and field test showed that the torque peak in the drive shaft can fluctuate and show large values than normal when the first torsional mode is excited by 1 × the input speed. They also show that the nature of the excitation and hence the response of the machine depends on the drive and the excitation amplitude, which depends strongly on the prop-shaft angle. To predict this behavior, detailed free and forced torsional models are developed and validated with measurements. The latter enables the validation of the torque peaks obtained in measurement. The drive train configuration (branched or unbranched) is