Model Based Design of a Rotor Supported by Radial Electrodynamic Bearings

The paper presents the design phases of a test rig to test the feasibility of passive full electrodynamic radial suspension of high speed rotors. A reference case from an automotive application is used to establish the design specifications in order to keep the characteristics close to those of an industrial application. The design is carried out in a model based approach where all the properties are analysed taking into account the coupling between the subsystems by means of finite element models and state space models. Some experimental results are used to validate the design approach, confirming the validity of the models and assumptions.