M'echanical dynamics

Akira Chiba

An object has six degrees of freedom, i.e., x-, y- and z-axis positions and rotational positions 0x, 0y, and 0z around these three axes. In most magnetic bearing
systems, one axis is assigned as the rotating shaft axis so that the rotating shaft
should be suspended by active or passive regulation of the remaining five axis
positions. Therefore understanding the dynamic constraints of the mechanical
system is important.
In this chapter, the dynamic characteristics of a simple mechanical system
are described. In the first section, the fundamental equations are described for
a two-axis system including the gyroscopic effect. It is important to note that
there is cross coupling between axes caused by the gyroscopic effect. Block
diagrams provide easy understanding and computer simulations illustrate the
system behaviour. In the second section, the two-axis system is extended to fourand five-axis systems. In the last section, a thrust magnetic bearing is described
and the requirements for five-axis active suspension are shown.

Figure 4.1 (a) shows a shaft rotating at an angular speed of tOrmaround the k-axis.
The three perpendicular x-, y- and z-axes are in the stationary coordinate reference frame. The other three perpendicular i-, j- and k-axes are in the rotational
coordinate reference frame. The bottom of the shaft is fixed to the origin of
these axes. At a length lrt from the origin, a cylindrical magnetic bearing rotor
is fixed to the shaft. Under normal conditions, the k- and z-axes are almost
aligned; however, there is always a slight difference. Figure 4.1(b,c) shows the
difference. In Figure 4.1(b), a view along the y-axis is shown. The k-axis is
inclined by an angular position 0y from the z-axis. A moment (or torque) Ny is
applied around the y-axis. Note that the angular position and moment are defined
around the y-axis using the fight-hand rule. In Figure 4.1(c), a view along the

86 Mechanical dynamics
k

z
J

/rt~

__--~ i
~x

1..,r
View / i

<-----View 2

(a)
k

Nx

Y
/rt
>X

>y

(b)

(c)

Figure 4.1 Coordinates: (a) Coordinate system; (b) view 1' (c) view 2

x-axis is shown. The angular position and the moment are also defined as 0x and
Nx respectively, again, based on the right-hand rule.
Let us define inertia I i and I k around i- and k-axis rotations respectively. The
inertia on the j-axis is equal to that on the /-axis because of the symmetrical
shaft structure. The product of the inertia and the second-order differential of
the angular position with respect to time is equal to the moments so that
IiO x =

--0.)rmlk 0y --~ N x

I i by = Wrmlk 0x + Ny
The first terms on the right-hand side of these equations are
from the gyroscopic effect. The gyroscopic moment is a
rotational speed tOrm,the k-axis inertia and the angular speed
axis. These terms are effective at a high rotational speed
k-axis inertia such as in a disc-shaped rotor.

(4.1)
(4.2)
moments originated
product of a z-axis
of the perpendicular
and also with high

Two-axis system 87
Displacements from the cylindrical rotor centre alignment on the x- and
y-axes can be obtained from Figure 4.1(b,c); assuming that the inclination of the
rotating shaft is small, then
x = Irt sin 0y "~ lrt 0y

(4.3)

y = - lrt sin 0 x ~ -- lrt 0x

(4.4)

Note that x and y are proportional to each other's angular positions 0y and 0 x.
Solving these equations for 0x and 0y and substituting into (4.1) and (4.2) yields
equations (4.5) and (4.6):
09rmIk . lrt
y -- ~ x
- --N x

Ii

j? =

Ii

tOrmlk
Irt
Ii 3) + ~-i Ny

(4.5)

(4.6)

Figure 4.2(a) shows a block diagram for these equations. Acceleration in y-axis
is the sum of the gyroscopic term of x-axis speed and the moment term around
the x-axis. The gyroscopic term is proportional to the ratio of inertias in the kand/-axes. Therefore the gyroscopic effect is more substantial for the case of a
disc-like shaft rather than a long and thin shaft.
Next, let us examine the external moment. Suppose that the centre of gravity
of a magnetic bearing rotor has a height of h and a mass of m (kg). Note that lrt
is equal to h in the ideal case; however, in practice, the sensor target and shaft
weight will also have to be considered. Let us define the gravity acceleration as
ga" Therefore the moments Nxg and Nyg, around the x- and y-axes, due to the
mass, are written as
Nxg --

mgah sin 0x ~ mgahOx -- -mgahl-Y~

(4.7)

Nyg --

mgah sin 0y "~ mgahOy -- mgahl-x~

(4.8)

Let us define the current-driven radial forces, generated in the magnetic bearing
on the x- and y-axes, as F x and Fy. Therefore the moments Nxi and Nyi are
generated by currents and given by Nxi = - F y l r t and Nyi = Fxlrt. In addition
to the current-driven radial forces, displacement-caused radial forces are also
produced. The radial force in y-axis is written as kxy with a force-displacement
factor k x and y-axis shaft displacement y. The displacement-originated moment
Nxd around the x-axis is written as Nxd = - k x Y l r t and the moment Nyd around
the y-axis is given as Nyd = kxxlrt.
The sum of moments around the x- and y-axes are
Nx = Nxg -+-Nxi q- Nxd -----gy -- gyg --[-gy i --[-gy d

mgah
l----~y-- Fylrt - kxYlrt

mgah
l-----~x + Fxlrt + kxxlrt

(4.9)
(4.10)

88

Mechanical

dynamics

x"J 1 I

"I -~ ~rm/kL q -~-U-, F

~ ~rmIlk

NxI.-/rt/i
ii+

.Jl

(a)

mgah

.,

/rt + kx/rt

/rt

Lx

+kxlrt Fy

(b)
/

"Xx

mgah+kx12 L~

" F
--

1
-~

~176 +

>x

mgah+kxl2 t
I~

(c)
Figure 4.2 Radial force and displacement blocks: (a) torque and speed block diagram (b) the
moments N x and Ny around x- and y-axes (c) radial force and displacement blocks

Two-axis system

89

Figure 4.2(b) shows a block diagram for the moments. The input variables are
current-driven radial forces from the magnetic beating and also forces from
the rotor radial displacement. Radial forces caused by gravity and displacement
are generated as a function of the rotor radial displacement. The outputs are the
moments around the x- and y-axes. This block diagram can be merged with the
previous block diagram.
The moment equations above are substituted into (4.5) and (4.6) to obtain
dynamic motion equations such that

O)rmIk 2 + mgah-F kxl2rty + 12rtF.

Y=I i
Ii
li y

(4.11)

""

~=

Wrmlk . mgah+kxl2rtxq._ l~
----~i y+
li
~F x

(4.12)

Figure 4.2(c) shows the block diagram. The inputs are the suspension radial
forces F x and Fy and the outputs are the x- and y-axis shaft displacements. There
are cross-coupling blocks caused by gyroscopic effects and positive feedback

X* (~)
~n!

I
----.-~_L

f"~Xsn(V) ~
3W_:,
--~;

_#

i
i

0
-1

0.005

0.01

40

0.005

0.005

0.02 p = ~

o.ol

--0.02

..........V
0

0.005

0.04

0.045

::

'

'

'

I~ ,,.

0.015
i~-~

0.02

[
0.025

0.03

i
0.035

0.04

0.045

0.025

0.03

0.035

0.04

0.045

0.025

0.03

0.035

0.04

~'

0.05

0.05

0.01

0.015

~c, ..... 1,

0.035

i jf

0.03

'

0.01

0.5 xLfm)s2~

_.0.50

0.025

0.02

~ ' ( r n , ~)

~o

0.015

20

--

0.02

0.05

--

....i............

.... i ............

0.01

0.02

0.015

............

...........

V t
0.045

0.05

Time

m= 1.3kg,/rt=O.09 m, h=0.15 m, kx= 1.7x 105 N/m, li = 1.6x lO-2kgm 2, Ik= 2.3x 10-4 kgm 2
Figure 4.3

Step change in x-axis radial position command

90 Mechanical dynamics
loops are caused by weight and the force-displacement factor. This block diagram
provides the mechanical system dynamic response.
Figure 4.3 shows the waveforms from a computer simulation of the block
diagram where a step change in displacement reference in x-axis is applied.
Feedback controller blocks have been added and a mechanical unbalance force is
considered. The rotational part is made up of a cylindrical rotor with a diameter
of 5 cm and a thickness of 3 cm and an additional cylindrical iron part is also
included to model the sensor target. The shaft length is about 20 cm long and it
is assumed to be of a small diameter and long axial length. The figure shows the
x-axis position command Xs*n, the radial sensor output Xsn, the current-originated
acceleration 57i, the displacement-originated acceleration Yx and the gyroscopic
acceleration 5?c. As seen from the figure, the current-originated acceleration
is dominant, which is generated by the error between xs*n and Xsn. Also, the
displacement-originated acceleration is similar in shape to the Xsn characteristic,
although the peak amplitude is small. The gyroscopic acceleration is almost
a sinusoidal function. This is because the radial speed has a variation caused
by the mechanical shaft unbalance. In this example, the amplitude is negligible at a speed of 6000 r/min; however, the influence increases with rotational
speed.

In the previous section, the dynamic behaviour of a magnetically suspended

machine with two axes of freedom is explained. Based on the equations
and block diagrams, dynamic representations of systems with four-axis and
five-axis degrees of freedom are described in this section. A simple rigid
rotor is considered with a symmetrical structure with respect to the centre
of gravity so that the interference between translational and inclination forces
can be neglected. Details on rigid and elastic rotor dynamics can be found in
References [ 1,2].

Figure 4.4(a) shows a shaft with a five-axis active suspension system. There
are two radial magnetic beatings and one thrust magnetic bearing. The first
radial magnetic bearing, numbered 1, generates radial forces in xl- and yl-axis
directions. The second radial magnetic bearing, numbered 2, generates radial
forces in x2- and y2-axis directions. A thrust magnetic bearing generates a z-axis
suspension force.
The radial shaft movements can be expressed by translational and inclination
movements. Figure 4.4(b,c) shows these shaft movements. In the translational
displacement, the shaft rotational axis is moved in parallel to the stator centre

Four-axis and five-axis systems 91

Y2

Yl

Rotational
axis

Radial
magnetic
bearing 2

Thrust
magnetic
bearing

Radial
magnetic
bearing 1

(a)

~Y2I Rotational I /~Yll

I
axis
I

-I-_ -Stator centre

axis
~

Side
view

(b)

V--1

V7

Stato~"centre
a.xis
Side' view

(c)

Figure 4.4 Five-axisactive positioning: (a) five-axis active positioning; (b) translational displacement; (c) inclination displacement

axis. In the example figure, both the rotors are moved by yp in the y-axis
direction. In the Figure 4.4(c), a rotor shaft is rotated on the y-axis and rotors 1
and 2 are displaced by Yr and --Yr, respectively. In the inclination displacement,
the shaft rotational axis is rotated with respect to the stator axial centre.

92

Mechanicaldynamics

The rotor radial movement is expressed by translational and inclination

displacements so that
X 1 -- Xp "~- Xr
Yl = Yp -]- Yr
X2 -- Xp ~ Xr

(4.13)

Y2 = Yp - Yr
The translational and inclination forces can be expressed in terms of the radial
forces of the magnetic beatings as
fxp = fxl + ex2
Fyp = Fy 1 + F y 2

(4.14)

Fxr-- Vxl-Fx2

Fyr -- Fyl - Fy 2

The dynamic motion equations for the translational movement have to consider
the fact that the radial force is generated by both magnetic bearings. Hence
mXp -- Fxp .qt_ 2kxxp

(4.15)

myp = Fyp -~- 2kxYp - m g a

(4.16)

Note that the gravity force of the shaft weight m is applied in the negative
direction of the y-axis. The yp block surrounded by the dotted lines in Figure 4.5
shows the above relationship on the y-axis. The input and output variables are
the translational radial force and the displacement.
For inclination movement, the dynamic equations in the previous section
illustrate that a shaft inclined at an angle given by Yr/lrt has an inclination
angular acceleration given byyr/lrt. The external moment is a sum of current- and
displacement-originated terms, i.e., Fyrlrt a n d (2kxYr)lrt. Therefore the dynamic
motion equations are
""
tOrmlkXr +
Yr-- T

""

Xr=

2kxl2rt y~+ 12 F

09rmIk

- ~ "
ii

li

2kxl~
Yr-+-

(4.17)

L-i yr

ii

12

Xr+

~F
ii

xr

(4.18)

where I i and I k are the inertias around the x- and z-axes respectively. The Yr
block, surrounded by the dotted lines in Figure 4.5, models the y-axis inclination motion equation. The input variables are the force and x-axis speed, while
the output variable is the y-axis movement. This block diagram can be understood with reference to the block diagram in Figure 4.2 from the previous
section.

Four-axis and five-axis systems

93

~p
l

TF
r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
,

!
I
i

x2

Yr block
I.=_.

Fyp

'~

~2

~l

ms2

Yp

.>Y2

mga
I 2kx I!"/

yp block
Fz

Force input (N)

~1

i_1 ms1 2
I kz !.I
!"

>z

Displacement (m)

Figure 4.5 Five-axismechanical system

Figure 4.5 shows a block diagram of both the x- and y-axis variables for
translational and inclination movement. The radial forces applied to the magnetic
bearing rotors are input variables. These variables are transformed into translational and inclination forces using (4.14). Therefore, from these forces, the
displacements are obtained using (4.15-4.18). The displacements are transformed
into rotor movement using (4.13). In addition to the 4-axis motion equation,
a thrust bearing block diagram is added to the bottom of the block diagram.
Note that, for simplicity, the thrust movement is taken to be independent of the
other axes. The block diagram has force inputs and displacement outputs and it
describes the constraints governing shaft motion.

94 Mechanical dynamics

Figure 4.6 Controller configuration for translational and rotational axes

A simple controller structure has independent controls for each axis. Shaft
displacements Xl, Yl, x2 and Y2 are detected by displacement sensors and then
amplified by controller Gc to generate radial force commands. These radial force
commands produce current signals that generate radial forces Fx,, Fy1, Fx2 and
Fy 2 on the magnetic bearing rotor. The controllers for all axes are independently
generating radial force commands.
If the gyroscopic effect, or any other interference in x- and y-axes, is
considered, then controllers should be designed for the translational and inclination axes. Figure 4.6 shows a block diagram. From the detected shaft movement, displacements on the translational and inclination axes are calculated.
These displacements Xpsn, Xrsn, Yrsn and Ypsn are then amplified by radial position controllers Gcp and Gcr to produce the radial force reference commands
F~p, Fxr, Fyr and Fyp. From these commands the required radial force commands
for magnetic bearings on the x- and y-axes are calculated, so that currents can
be supplied to produce the actual radial forces that follow the references. The
inclination position block (surrounded by the dotted line) can be improved with
additional cross-coupling blocks so that the two-axis interference is cancelled.

Figure 4.7 shows the cross section of a thrust magnetic bearing. The thrust
magnetic bearing generates magnetic force in the axial direction. A ferromagnetic
plate is attached to the shaft. On both sides of the plate, cylindrical electromagnets

Thrust magnetic bearing and requirement of five-axis suspension 95

Figure 4.7 Thrust magnetic bearing

are located so that attractive magnetic forces are generated. The currents izl and
iz2, produce magnetic forces in opposite directions. These current values are
adjusted so that the required magnetic force is generated from the difference of
these attractive forces.
The magnetic beating currents are obtained from the sum of bias and force
currents so that
iz~ = I b + iz

(4.19)

iz2 = Ib --iz

(4.20)

And the axial magnetic F z force is written as

Fz = k z l b i z

(4.21)

Therefore the axial force is proportional to the current iz. Hence an axial positioning system can be constructed as follows: using the axial position of the
shaft, an axial force command is generated by a controller which produces a
current command i~ to control the winding currents izl and iz2 that are supplied
by inverters.

Table 4.1 compares inverter and wiring requirements between magnetic bearing
and bearingless motor systems with five-axis magnetic suspension. In fiveaxis active suspension using magnetic beatings, five displacement sensors are
required for detection of the shaft positions Xsn1, Ysn], Xsn2, Ysn2and Z. Two radial
magnetic beatings and one thrust magnetic beating are needed. Since magnetic
force regulation in one axis requires two single-phase inverters because of the
push-pull operation of the magnetic forces, a total of 10 single-phase inverters
are required. Therefore 20 wires are needed between the magnetic bearings and

96

Mechanicaldynamics
Table 4.1 Comparisonof five-axis active suspension
Magnetic bearing with a motor drive

Displacement sensors
Magnetic bearing inverters
Magnetic bearing power wires
Motor inverter
Motor inverter wires

5
10
20
1
3

Xsnl, Ysnl, Xsn2, Ysn2, Z

Two single-phase inverters for one axis

Bearingless motor

Displacement sensors
Magnetic bearing inverters
Magnetic bearing power wires
Motor inverter
Motor inverter wires

5
2+2

Xsnl, Ysnl, Xsn2, Ysn2, Z

Two 3-phase inverters and two

single-phase inverters

10
1
3

inverters. In addition to the magnetic bearings, the motor needs one 3-phase
inverter and three wires.
In a bearingless motor with five-axis active suspension, the requirements are
shown in the bottom half of Table 4.1. For the magnetic suspension, two 3-phase
inverters and two single-phase inverters are needed. Two radial-axis positions
can be regulated by one 3-phase inverter so four radial-axis positions require two
3-phase inverters with six wires. In addition, two single-phase inverters with four
wires are required for a thrust magnetic bearing. Therefore in total 10 wires are
required. In addition to the suspension, a 3-phase inverter with three wires is
required for the motor drive. The motor windings of two tandem bearingless
motor units can be connected in series. One can see that there is a more simple
power electronic and wire requirement for a bearingless drive.
The above comparison is based on a bearingless motor with 4-pole and 2-pole
windings. In some winding configurations, the requirements may be greater.

[1] G. Schweitzer, H. Bleuler and A. Traxler, "Active Magnetic Bearings",

Hochschulveflag AG an der ETH Zurich, 1994, ISBN 3 7281 2132 0.
[2] Y. Okada etal., "Basic and Application of Magnetic Bearings", JSME & Yokendo
Ltd, 1995, ISBN 4-8425-9521-3 (in Japanese).