Flutter Instability Speeds of Guided Splined Disks: An Experimental and Analytical Investigation

Abstract

“Guided splined disks” are defined as flat thin disks in which the inner radius of the disk is splined and matches a splined arbor that provides the driving torque for rotating the disk. Lateral constraint for the disk is provided by space fixed guide pads. Experimental lateral displacement of run-up tests of such a system is presented, and the flutter instability zones are identified. The results indicate that flutter instability occurs at speeds when a backward travelling wave of a mode meets a reflected wave of a different mode. Sometimes, the system cannot pass a flutter zone, and transverse vibrations of the disk lock into that flutter instability zone. The governing linear equations of transverse motion of such a spinning disk, with assumed free inner and outer boundary conditions, are derived. A lateral constraint is introduced and modeled as a linear spring. Rigid body translational and tilting degrees of freedom are included in the analysis of the total motion of the spinning disk. The eigenvalues of the system are computed numerically, and the flutter instability zones are defined. The results show that the mathematical model can predict accurately the flutter instability zones measured in the experimental tests.