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ESTIMATES OF ELECTROMAGNETIC DAMPING ACROSS AN INDUCTION

MOTOR AIR GAP FOR USE IN TORSIONAL VIBRATION ANALYSIS

Ed Hauptmann(1), Brian Howes(2), Bill Eckert(3),

ABSTRACT:

The effects of induction motor electromagnetic (em) damping on torsional

vibration are estimated with a method previously used for em stiffness. Results
indicate the significance of em damping depends on mode shape, particularly so
for lower order vibratory modes. Motor parameters that may lead to drive
instabilities are identified, and simple guidelines for estimating the em damping
magnitudes are given.

INTRODUCTION:

The steady-state torque and power output of a polyphase induction motor are
the result of electromagnetic fields which act across the air gap between stator
and rotor. If the rotor has a torsional vibration superimposed over the steady
rotation, the same electromagnetic fields across the air gap can produce an
additional torque which acts in the same way as a torsional spring and damper
added to a mass-elastic model as shown in Figure 1. In the past, these
additional electromagnetic (em) effects were not usually included in standard
torsional vibration analysis.

em torque (spring)
steady motor torque

vibratory excitation torque

em torque
(damper)

ROTOR
COUPLING

COMPRESSOR

Figure 1. A conventional mass-elastic model of a motor driven compressor, with

a spring and damper representing the additional em effects on the rotor due to
torsional vibration.

1. E. G. Hauptmann, PhD, PEng, Director, Eng. Development, Lo-Rez Vibration Control.

2. B. C. Howes, MSc, PEng, Chief Engineer, Beta Machinery Analysis.
3. W. F. Eckert, PhD, PEng, Principal Engineer, Beta Machinery Analysis.
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Simple analytical methods for estimating the em stiffness and damping were
presented at GMRC 2013 [1], and extended to provide estimates of current
pulsation due to torsional vibration at GMRC 2014 [2]. As outlined in [1], values
for the em spring, k M, and em damper, d M, can be estimated from:

k M = (# stator poles)( T B ){ x2 / [1 + x2] },…Eq’n (1), and

d M = k M / (ω2T L ) = k M (T L ) / (x)2 ….Eq’n (2),

where;

TR = rated motor torque, [Nm] ω = torsional vibration freq., [rad/s]

TB = breakdown torque. [Nm] T L = electrical time constant, [s],
sR = slip at rated load, [%], x = (ωT L ), dimensionless time.
Ωs = supply frequency, [rad/s]

The electrical time constant of the motor T L can be estimated from:

T L ≈ (1/Ω s )[1/(2s R )]( T R / T B )….Eq’n (3).

A presentation by Knop [3] at 2012 EFRC explained that the addition of an em

spring and damper adds a mode with a very low torsional natural frequency
(TNF), while the second mode can be though of as a shift upward of the original
first order mode as shown in Figure 2.
2
Ratio of Torsional Frequencies

A
1.8

A
1.6
JM /JC 1.0 A

1.4 1.5

2.0
1.2

B
1
C
0 2 4 6 8 10
kM/ kC
Figure 2. The effect of including an em spring to the model in Fig.1 (neglecting
damping, and taking k M as constant). Coupling type: A-elastomeric at different
operating temperatures; B-steel spring coupling; C-disc pack. The ratios J M /J C
are the total inertias on the motor and compressor side respectively (shown for
reference; taken from [1]).
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It can be seen in Figure 2 that where a torsionally “very” soft (elastomeric)

coupling is used, the em stiffness, k M , may be many times greater than the
coupling stiffness, so that the shift in the TNF can be significant.

An em spring with k M values estimated using Eq’ns (1, 3) was added to a series
of previous TVA models where field measurements of the TNF were available.
Figure 3 shows the measured TNF (RPM) where the em was naturally present,
versus the re-calculated TNF with em effects included in the TVA (solid markers).
The proximity to the 45o line indicates good agreement between the em model
and field measurements, particularly so for soft rubber couplings where the TNF
shift can be significant. The open markers show the TNF without the em effect.

1000

900

800
Measured TNF (RPM)

700

600

500

400 1000 HP, 4 throw, spring cplg.

1250 HP, 4 throw, spring cplg.
300 4000 HP, 4 throw, spring cplg.
2750 HP, 4 throw, rubber cplg.
200
200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Predicted TNF (RPM)
Figure 3. Comparison of predicted versus measured TNF when em effects are
included in the TVA (solid markers), and when they are not included in the TVA
(open markers); Figure taken from [1].

We concluded [1, 2] that based on these measurements, the simple method

presented for evaluating the em stiffness gives reasonable estimates to be used
at the early design stage, and that the effect on torsional natural frequencies is
particularly important for systems with very soft (elastomeric) couplings.
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EFFECT OF em DAMPING IN TYPICAL DRIVE TRAINS:

The addition of an em spring to the model in Fig. 1 not only alters the torsional
natural frequencies, but also adds a significant lower vibratory mode. The em
damper however acts only on the rotor, and plays a less important role in overall
system response in most cases.

The em rotor damping d M is strongly dependent on torsional vibration frequency,

becoming very large at lower frequencies. As an example, the em damping has
been evaluated using Eq’n 2 and the methods above for a 1,250 HP, 8 pole
motor, 60 Hz supply frequency, running at full load with a slip of 0.89%. Figure 4
shows the damping (and stiffness) at varying torsional vibration frequencies.

500

Eq'n 1 stiffness
400
Eq'n 2 damping
Damping - Nms/rad
Stiffness- kNm/rad

300

200

100

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60

-100
Torsional Vibration Frequency - Hz
Figure 4. Electromagnetic damping and stiffness estimates made using Eq’ns 1,
2, 3, for a 1,250 HP, 8 pole motor, 60 Hz electrical (line) supply, running at full
load with a slip of 0.89%.

Estimates of em rotor damping using Eq’n 2 have also been applied to a series
of previous torsional studies to better evaluate the importance of em damping.
Table 1 shows results for the rotor em damping in three different drives: Drive A-
system with a very low torsional stiffness (elastomeric) coupling; Drive B-system
with a steel spring coupling; Drive C-rigid (disc pack) coupling [1]. The principal
torsional vibration frequency, ω, is taken as the first order of run speed.
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Drive A Drive B Drive C

Compressor Ariel JGC/6 Ariel JGK/4 Cameron MH64
speed range-RPM 450-900 1185-1192 716
speed range-Hz 7.5-15.0 19.75-19.87 11.93
Coupling rubber-in-shear steel spring stiff: disc pack
Motor – 60 Hz Toshiba Reliance WEG
1st TNF, ω 0 – Hz 4.93 14.75 77.98
1st TNF, incl. em 8.18 16.06 78.14
rated power – kW 3,728 933 336
rated power - HP 5,000 1,250 450
k M – kNm / rad * 652 99.3 88.4
d M – kNms / rad * 3.2 0.09 0.133
* at 900 RPM

Table 1. A summary of em stiffness effects on some previous torsional vibration

studies. The effect is pronounced for higher power installations with ultra-soft
rubber couplings, while lower power drive trains with torsionally-stiff couplings
are not greatly affected [1].

The em damping, d M , in Table 1 was applied to the rotor in addition to normal

system modal damping for each case. The extra em effect on system response
at the compressor crankcase, coupling, and motor shaft is shown in Table 2.

Drive A Drive B Drive C

speed range-Hz 7.5-15.0 19.75-19.87 11.93
st
1 TNF, incl. em 8.18 16.06 18.13
no em incl. em no em incl. em no em incl. em
d M – kNms / rad 0 3.2 0 0.09 0 0.132
d M –lb-ins / rad 0 28,160 0 796 0 1,166
Vibratory Torques – lbf-in, 0-pk
comp. crankshaft 309,454 309,453 170,119 170,132 79,949 79,991
coupling 18,781 18,677 18,622 18,384 49,397 49,417
motor shaft 9,866 9,816 15,961 15,784 45,957 45,978
effective damping -% 2.41 2.42 2.90 4.46 1.00 1.15

Table 2. The effect of additional em damping added to original system damping

for three types of torsional drivelines. For these systems, the effect on vibratory
torques due to em damping was slight.
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Note that in Table 2, the operating speed range for Drive A includes the 1st TNF.
However because of the mode shape, the em damping makes a small
contribution to effective damping (about 0.01%). Drive B is a situation where the
compressor inertia is almost as large as the motor inertia, and the run speed
(approximately 19.9 Hz) is removed from a resonant condition. Compressor
crankshaft torque remains nearly constant with the inclusion of em damping,
while coupling and motor shaft torques are slightly reduced. Effective system
damping in Drive B is increased by about 1.56%). Drive C, a very “stiff” system,
operates far from any interfering resonances and is very slightly affected by the
addition of em damping

SYSTEM RESPONSE DUE TO “NEGATIVE” em DAMPING:

While the simplified approach above has yielded useful estimates of the em
spring stiffness k M , accurate damping estimates have been more elusive with
Eq’n 2 giving reliable results only for lower order modes (vibration frequencies).
More complete studies have shown that at frequencies approaching the electrical
supply frequency, the em damping becomes negative (not possible from Eq’n 2).

Better understanding of the complete unsteady em damping effects requires

direct numerical integration of the non-linear differential equations representing
stator and rotor currents and their mutually induced stator and rotor fields. Past
studies have typically included startup of drive systems and estimation of the
resulting transient motor torques. Jordan et al [4], [5], have developed the
complete em field equations which were then solved numerically, showing
dynamical effects (limit cycles and drive instabilities) for some motors which
showed negative damping.

Extensive numerical modeling of the electromechanical stiffness and damping

effects as a result of torsional vibration have been reviewed by Holopainen et al
[6]. Their results of a complete numerical simulation for the motor of Figure 4 are
shown in Figure 5, which also includes the results shown in Figure 4. The full
simulation results from [6] show the onset of negative damping as the torsional
vibration frequency is 83% - 95% of the electrical supply frequency (60 Hz) for
this motor. Except for the region of 50 Hz-60 Hz torsional vibration frequency,
Eq’ns (1, 2, 3) results agree well with the detailed stiffness calculation, while
damping estimates using the simple results are as much as 44% lower at 25 Hz.

The motor in Figure 5 was used to drive a blower in a direct, on-line application
with a relatively torsionally soft coupling so that the first TNF was approximately
28.1 Hz. It should be noted that the 2nd order run speed at 29.8 Hz, may have
been responsible for the “relatively large” torsional amplitudes reported at the
rotor. The em effects were minor and negative damping was avoided entirely.
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500

Eq'n 1 stiffness
Eq'n 2 damping
400
Ref [6] stiffness
Ref [6] damping
Damping - Nms/rad
Stiffness- kNm/rad

300

200

100

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60

-100
Torsional Vibration Frequency - Hz
Figure 5. Predicted values of em damping and stiffness versus torsional
excitation, using Eq’ns 2 and 3, and predicted values by Holopainen et al [6].
“Negative” damping appears from 83 to 95% of supply frequency for this motor.

Knop [3] reported on negative damping effects for a 690 HP, 6 pole motor with a
50 Hz supply frequency, running at 972 RPM (16.2 Hz). Negative damping was
shown to depend critically on stator resistance, expressed as a dimensionless
ratio, α = (stator resistance/ stator reactance). For the exemplar motor, having a
value α = 0.01, the em damping became negative at torsional vibration
frequencies from 32 to 48.5 Hz (64% to 97%) of the electrical supply frequency.

The stiff coupling in the drive resulted in a 1st TNF of 42 Hz so that the 2nd and 3rd
order of run speed were within the region of negative damping. The resulting
torque amplitudes on the coupling were reported to be as much as 5 times
predicted, so that the coupling failed after a few running hours (replaced with a
much “softer” coupling to remove the interferences). It was also noted that
negative damping disappeared for values of α greater than (about) 0.05, and
also for all orders of natural vibration above the supply frequency.
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MOTOR PARAMETERS CONDUCIVE TO NEGATIVE DAMPING:

To further explore the negative damping phenomenon, we have combined the

complete analytical models from [4, 5] for the em damping and adjusted the
motor parameters; α, β, and σ (dimensionless stator and rotor resistances, and
dimensionless leakage flux) explained in [1]) so that a “virtual motor” (VM) can be
developed to study the importance of these parameters. As an illustration of such
a virtual motor, Figure 6 shows a comparison of results from [6] for the 1,250 HP
motor of Figure 5, and those of the VM motor with parameters indicated.

The VM can be used to illustrate how the region of negative damping is

influenced by the parameters; α, β, and σ, as well as the supply frequency (as in
VFD drive arrangements). Figure 7 shows the results of the predicted em
damping for the VM with a supply frequency of 30 Hz.

Further parametric studies on the effect of supply frequencies for the VM of Fig.6
indicate that the negative damping range persists at all supply frequencies above
approximately 30 Hz.

500

400
Damping- Nms/rad

VM
300
Ref [6] motor

200

100

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60

-100
Torsional Vibration frequency - Hz
Figure 6. Development of a “virtual motor” (VM) to match predicted results for
em damping reported in [6]. VM parameters are; α = 0.01, β =0.02, σ = 0.1.
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400

VM-30Hz
300
VM-60 Hz
Damping- Nms/rad

200

100

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

-100
Torsional Vibration frequency - Hz
Figure 7. The em damping results for the VM of Fig. 5 at 30 Hz and 60 Hz
supply frequencies, mimicking VFD outputs from 50% to 100% of nominal speed.
At 30Hz, negative damping disappears over the range of frequencies shown.

400

1750 HP VM
300
Eq'n (2)
Damping- Nms/rad

200

100

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60

-100
Torsional Vibration frequency - Hz
Figure 8. Comparison of the predicted em damping for a 1,750 HP, 8 pole VM
with resistance and reactance values described above, to that of the em damping
for the same motor using the approximate results using Eq’n (1, 2, 3) .
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Changing the dimensionless resistance and reactance parameters can also

significantly change the shape of em damping curve for a VM. Figure 8 shows
the predicted em damping for a 1,750 HP, 8 pole motor, 60 Hz supply frequency
and a full load slip of 0.67%. The dimensionless parameters for this motor are; α
= 0.105, β = 0.054, σ = 0.1. Figure 8 also includes the predicted em damping
using the approximations made by using E’qns (1, 2, 3).

Negative em damping is not present for the VM in this case. Results of the
simplified method applied to the same motor compare well with the VM at low
vibration frequencies where the damping is significant; however not as well at
vibration frequencies from 20 Hz – 40 Hz, where the damping is much lower.

CONCLUSIONS:

1. The addition of an em spring to the TVA alters the torsional natural

frequencies, and also adds a significant lower vibratory mode. The em
damper however acts only on the rotor, and plays a much less important
role in overall system response according to the mode shape.

2. Motor em damping is not significant for soft coupling designs with the first
TNF below run speed. Higher modes that are dominated by the
compressor shaft are independent of the em effects due to the isolation
provided by the soft coupling.

3. The em damping may have a more significant effect for drivelines with
torsional natural frequencies in the range of 80%-100% of supply (line)
frequency, with motors having ratios of stator resistance /reactance in the
range of 0.01.

4. The estimates from Equations 1 and 2 are generally sufficient for use at
an early design stage of the torsional vibration model. Reciprocating
compressor systems typically have significant torque excitations in the
critical range of 80-100% of supply frequency (usually 2, 3, or 4 times
running speed). As a result, most systems are designed to have torsional
natural frequencies that are well separated from the critical frequency
region to avoid excessive response, even without the consideration of
possible negative damping at the motor.

DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. Torsional natural frequencies within 80-100% of the electrical supply

frequency should be avoided due to the potential of negative damping in
the motor. API 618 requires a 10% separation margin from supply
frequency, and 5% from twice supply frequency. API 514 recommends
15% separation from 1x and 2x line frequency. However, the possibility of
negative em damping in the region below the supply frequency has the
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potential to create a torsional issue. The recommended API separation

margin is meant to protect against torsional issues caused by motor
torque fluctuations during electrical events (such as short circuits). A
more prudent design guideline would be to use at least a 20% separation
margin on the lower side of the supply frequency to avoid the potential
negative em damping.

2. A mode with high motor response coupled with low, or worse, negative
damping is a recipe for disaster and should be avoided. Tuning a torsional
natural frequency to the 80–100% supply frequency range often means
addition of significant inertia to the compressor. This can result in the
motor rotor inertia being less than the total driven inertia, with the
corresponding mode shape being such that the motor has higher torsional
displacement than the compressor.

3. Motors with low stator resistance should be reviewed. The results of Knop
[3], and of the VM show that motors with low stator resistance (α ≈ 0.01)
are more likely to exhibit a region of negative em damping, and thus the
20% separation margin below the supply frequency would be more
desirable. The stator resistance is a property of the electrical design of
the motor, and cannot easily be changed. The torsional vibration analyst
should be aware of the potential issue, especially with low stator
resistance designs.

4. There may be some instances when other limits force tuning the system
into the critical region. In those cases, using a more complete calculation
method for the em damping might be prudent. Alternatively, a damping
sensitivity analysis could demonstrate the need for more detailed
modelling.

5. Variable frequency drives have additional design requirements due to the

varying supply frequency. However, the tendency is for em damping to
become less negative as the supply frequency decreases. This helpful
behavior will make the torsional design problem with a VFD easier to
solve.

6. More complete data for specific motors has to be supplied by the

manufacturer. This would include data on the parameters; α, β, and σ
(dimensionless stator and rotor resistances, and dimensionless leakage
flux, [1]). Our understanding of these parameters is dependent on motor
manufacturers at this time.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Authors gratefully acknowledge the comments and support from the GMRC
Research Committee “Torsional Effect of Motor Magnetic Field”; Jeff Vea, for his
helpful work in rerunning past analyses.

REFERENCES:
1. E. Hauptmann, B. Howes, B. Eckert; The influence on torsional vibration analysis of
electromagnetic effects across an induction motor air gap, GMRC, Albuquerque (2013).
2. E. Hauptmann, B. Howes, B. Eckert; Approximate method for calculating current
pulsations caused by induction motors driving reciprocating compressors, GMRC,
Nashville (2014).
3. G. Knop, The importance of motor dynamics in reciprocating compressor drives, EFRC,
Dϋsseldorf (2012).
4. H. Jordan, J. Mϋller, H.O. Seinsch; Über elektromagnetische und mechanische
Ausgleichvorgänge bei Drehstromantrieben; Wiss. Ber. AEG-TELEFUNKEN 53 (1979) 5.
5. H. Jordan, J. Mϋller, H.O. Seinsch; Über das Verhalten von
Drehstromasynchronmotoren in drehelastischen Antrieben; Wiss. Ber. AEG-
TELEFUNKEN 53 (1980) 3.
6. T. P. Holopainen, J. Nϋranen, P.Jöorg, D. Andreo ; Electric motors and drives in torsional
vibration analysis, Forty-Second Turbomachinery Symposium, Houston TX, (2013).