POLISH MARITIME RESEARCH 3(70) 2011 Vol 18; pp.

43-47
10.2478/v10012-011-0016-9

Damping of torsional vibrations of ship engine

crankshafts general selection methods
of viscous vibration damper
Wojciech Homik, Ph. D.
Rzeszw University of Technology

ABSTRACT
This paper describes causes of torsional vibrations generated in ship engine crankshafts.
Means for damping the torsional vibrations as well as general methods for selection
of viscous torsional vibration dampers for a given type of engine are also presented.
Exemplary results of calculations connected with selection of a viscous torsional vibration
damper intended for a six-cylinder engine, are attached.

Keywords: torsional vibrations; torsional vibration damping; torsional vibration dampers;

crankshaft; natural vibration frequency

INTRODUCTION
Crankshafts are applied everywhere it is necessary to
convert reciprocating motion into rotational one or inversely.
In engines and compressors they are commonly used.
Piston combustion engine in operation generates vibrations
which result from occurrence of periodically varying gas and
inertia forces. The forces generate the following kinds of
vibrations:
bending vibrations,
axial vibrations,
torsional vibrations.
The rst two kinds of vibrations occurring in car combustion
engines do not constitute any great danger for life time of their
crankshafts but for ship large-power engines axial vibrations of
crankshafts are a serious problem. Such vibrations cause that
the entire system consisted of engine crankshaft, ywheel, shaft
line and screw propeller displaces periodically along its axis.
Axial vibration amplitude of the system practically depends
on a design solution of screw propeller, namely, number of
its blades.
However irrespective of an used dynamical engine
operation system torsional vibrations are the most dangerous
for its crankshaft. Out of many forces acting in the crankshaftpiston system the force T (Fig. 1) tangent to the circle described
by crank, makes crankshaft rotating. The force T, one of two
components of the force S acting along crankshaft axis, is that
periodically changing [8, 9, 11, 12]. Its frequency for two-stroke
engines is equal to 2, and for four-stroke ones - to 4. Changes

Fig. 1. Distribution of forces in crankshaft - piston system

POLISH MARITIME RESEARCH, No 3/2011

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of the force T generate accelerations of engine crankshaft

rotational motion and in consequence torsional vibrations which
change along with changing shaft line rotational speed. Worth
mentioning that crankshaft deection is limited only by shaft
line torsional stiffness and torsional vibration amplitude can
exceed its permissible values. In the case of lack of damping
vibration run curve tends to innity for any speed which
generates a resonance harmonic.
Torsional damage of crankshaft, i.e. one of a changeable
stiffness, takes place when the permissible amplitude value
(permissible twist angle) dop is exceeded (1) [2, 3].
(1)
where:
Ms
Li
G
Ioi

torque,
reduced length of shaft segment,
shear modulus,
polar moment of inertia.

Many formulae are used for calculating the reduced length

of crankshaft, i.e. shaft segment between cylinder axes. Among
the most known the following may be numbered:
Carter formula,
Ker Wilson formula,
Tulpin formula.
The formulae may be reduced to the general form as follows
(2) [1, 2, 3, 8, 9]:
(2)
where:
I cross-section inertia moments,
k set of quantities which account for crank geometry,
and the indices stand for:
cg main journal,
ck crank journal,
rw crank arm,
o reduced value.
Importance of the problem in question, i.e. danger of shaft
damage due to occurrence of torsional vibrations in propulsion
systems of oating objects resulted in that Polish Register of
Shipping (PRS) issued a specialty rule publication entirely
devoted to the calculating of crankshafts of combustionignition engines [10]. One of its sections contains guidelines
and conditions to be abide by crankshaft designers.

Photo 1

For many years for the damping of torsional vibrations of

ship engine crankshafts the following kinds of dampers have
been used:
frictional dampers,
rubber dampers (Photo 1),
viscous dampers (Photo 2),
spring dampers (Photo 3).
Among the above mentioned group of dampers the viscous
one is most popular and successfully used for controlling
vibration level of ship large-power medium-speed engines
[4, 5].
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POLISH MARITIME RESEARCH, No 3/2011

Photo 3

GENERAL METHODS OF SELECTION AND

DESIGN OF VISCOUS DAMPERS
OF TORSIONAL VIBRATIONS
In advance of commencing design of a viscous torsional
vibration damper its designer should obtain, from engine
producer, an appropriate set of necessary data [6].
The data should contain the information on:
kind of fuel (petrol, diesel oil),
number of cylinders,
type of engine (two-stroke, four-stroke),
minimum rotational speed of engine,
maximum rotational speed of engine,
range of operational speed of engine (if not constant),
ignition sequence,
main journal diameter,
crank journal diameter,
cylinder diameter,
mean indicated pressure,
total weight of masses in reciprocating axial motion,
torsional stiffness of shaft between cylinders,
permissible value of twist angle of shaft,
limitations for damper gabarites.
The above specied data make it possible to form, for real
propulsion system, a substitute vibrating system which enables
to calculate:
- its natural frequency [rad/s] (3),
- resonance rotational speeds:
(3)
where:
w natural vibration frequency of w-form,
w vibration form number,
h harmonics order; for two-stroke engines:
h = 1, 2, 3, 4,;
for four-stroke engines:
h = 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4
-

DAMPING OF TORSIONAL VIBRATIONS

OF CRANKSHAFTS OF SHIP ENGINES

Photo 2

relative torsional vibration amplitudes i of particular

masses of the system (Fig. 2), as well as:
range of harmonics in the area where calculations have to
be performed (4):

(4)

For the so determined range of harmonics, values of the

tangent force Th are calculated with accounting for the mean
indicated pressure. Despite that the determined range of
harmonics may be very wide it is sufcient, basing on multiyear experience, to take into account, in the performed analysis,

only a certain number of harmonics of the tangent force T. It

is usually 12 18 harmonics, because higher-order harmonics
of wide ranges and small amplitudes are of low impact on
vibrations.

calculated, which can be analyzed by using diagrams prepared

on the basis of the performed calculations.
The determination of values of twist angles of crankshaft
free end and torsional stresses closes the rst phase of damper
selection after which preliminary calculations of the mass
moment of inertia of damper inertia ring, Ip, are performed.
The mass moment of inertia of damper inertia ring, Ip, for
a selected (designed) damper, has to comply with the following
condition (6):
(6)
where:
the so called equivalent inertia of engine.

Fig. 2. Exemplary diagram of relative amplitudes calculated for a sixcylinder engine; 1) damper, 2 7) crankshaft- piston system, 8) ywheel

As the following is known:

values of relative amplitudes of masses,
range of harmonics,
values of tangent forces,
values of rotational speed, which correspond to a given
harmonic,

torsional vibrations of crankshaft free end can be calculated.

First of all the calculations are performed without accounting
for torsional vibration damper in the system, but with taking
into account screw propeller and elastic coupling (if applied).
Value of torsional vibration amplitude of engine crankshaft free
end is described by the following formula (5):

Fig. 3. Diagram of changes of torsional stresses in function of shaft

cross-section, for a selected harmonic; exemplary results
of calculations for a 6-cylinder engine

(5)
where:

1
D
R
Th
i
i
c
Se
Sp
ks
M

torsional vibration amplitude of crankshaft free end,

cylinder diameter,
crank radius,
tangent component of exciting harmonic,
relative amplitude of i-th mass,
geometrical sum of relative amplitude vectors,
number of cylinders,
engine structural damping coefcient,
screw propeller damping coefcient,
coupling torsional rigidity,
coupling dynamic amplication (specied by coupling
producer).

In order to obtain full image of crankshaft loading resulting

from torsional vibrations, value of torsional stresses is

Fig. 4. Diagram of changes of torsional stresses in function of harmonic,

for a selected vulnerable cross-section of shaft; exemplary
results of calculations for a 6-cylinder engine

From the above given equation unambiguously results

that for further analysis it is possible to obtain practically a set
of i dampers whose effective mass moments of inertia are
expressed as follows (7):
(7)
where:
Ioi mass moment of inertia of i-th damper casing.
POLISH MARITIME RESEARCH, No 3/2011

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Now, having the preliminarily selected set of i dampers, one

performs identical calculations as for the system without damper
but extended by the effective mass moment of inertia Ie.
For every i-th system equipped with i-th damper the
following is determined:
system natural frequency,
range of harmonics,
resonance speeds,
values of relative amplitudes (Fig. 5),
values of twist angles of crankshaft free end,
values of torsional stresses (Fig. 6).
Comparative analysis of the obtained results makes it
possible to select, from the set of i dampers, that most
effective in a given dynamic system.

Mtp = Mtpz + Mtpw + Mtpb

(8)

and, that of friction moment on working surfaces of damper

casing (9):

Mto = Mtoz + Mtow + Mtob

(9)

where:
Mt friction moment,
and the indices stand for:
p ring,
o casing,
z outer surface,
w inner surface,
b side surface.
Value of the friction moment does not depend only and
solely on the geometrical parameters of damper but also on
the uid kinematic viscosity (10):
(10)
where:
dynamic uid viscosity,
uid density.

Fig. 5. Diagrams of relative amplitudes of particular equivalent systems

for the whole set of preliminarily selected dampers; exemplary results
of calculations for a 6-cylinder engine

During selection of uid viscosity intended for damper it

should be remembered that the viscosity changes along with
temperature changing.
As already mentioned, the vibration damping in the designed
device is effected due to friction, hence energy dissipated by
damper is transformed into heat. The heat generated in damper
during the initial phase of its work is transferred mainly to
the environment and partly used for heating the damper. It so
long proceeds until the damper obtains the so-called saturation
temperature.
After reaching the saturation temperature by the damper
a justied concern arises that it may become seized due to
its overheating resulting not only from the transformation of
dissipated energy into heat but also its operation in an elevated
environmental temperature (operation of damper in engine
chamber) (Photo 4).

Photo 4. Image of an overheated and seized viscous torsional vibration

damper, acc. tests made by the DAMPOL

Fig. 6. Diagrams of torsional stresses in function of the most loaded

cross-sections of shaft for the whole set of preliminarily selected dampers;
exemplary results of calculations for a 6-cylinder engine

Viscous torsional vibration damper is that to which the uid

friction phenomenon is applied to effect vibration damping [7].
Therefore also value of friction moment resulting from friction
forces acting on working surfaces of damper ring and casing,
decides on its effectiveness.
The total value of friction moment which appears on damper
inertia ring may be expressed as follows (8):

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POLISH MARITIME RESEARCH, No 3/2011

In practice the detrimental phenomenon makes that the

damper, instead to damp vibrations, starts to excite them.
The damper, if correctly designed, should operate reliably
for 20000 30000 h in negative temperatures and rst of all
higher temperatures even as high as 120C. Laboratory tests
performed on viscous torsional vibration dampers demonstrated
that events of seizing the dampers occurred when their working
temperature values exceeded by 60C the temperature for which
they were designed.
Satisfactory effects of damper operation are reached when
it operates within the temperature range from 75 90C in
continuous cycle of work.

In view of damper operation effectiveness it is recommended

to keep the specic power dissipated by damper lower than
8.6 [KM/m2] (counted per total surface area of its inertia
member).
The range of heat ow within damper depends on:
working conditions (a.o. engine rotational speed)
damper size,
damper design (of screw bolted casing or cold shut one)
and is expressed as follows (11):

H = h Ap

(11)

where:
H permissible heat ow rate [J/h],
Ap total surface area of inertia member,
h = 18 22 [MJ/m2/h] for instantaneous operation at critical
speed,
h = 9 11 [MJ/m2/h] for dampers used for small high-speed
engines intended for continuous operation at critical speeds,
such as those applied to cars,
h = 4.5 5.5 [MJ/m2/h] for dampers of large low-speed
engines intended for continuous operation at critical speeds,
such as those used in ships.
Note: The paper has been nancially supported by the
National Science Centre - Research Project No N N509
547440.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Brun R.: High-speed combustion-ignition engines (in Polish).
WKi (Transport and Communication Publishers), 1973
2. Dbrowski Z.: Machine shafts (in Polish). PWN (State Scientic
Publishers), 1999

3. Dbrowski Z. Maksymiuk M.: Shafts and axles (in Polish).

PWN, 1984
4. Homik W.: Diagnostics, maintenance and regeneration of
torsional vibration dampers for crankshafts of ship diesel
engines. Polish Maritime Research, No 1/2010
5. Homik W.: Assessment criteria of merits of viscous torsional
vibration damper for combustion engine crankshaft.Western
Scientic Centre of Ukrainian Transport Academy - Transportna
Akademia Ukraini. Praci Zachodnowo Naukowo Centrum, NR
19 str 90-94, 2009,
6. Homik W.: Designing viscous torsional vibration dampers
(in Polish). Przegld Mechaniczny No.10/2007
7. Homik. W.: Torsional vibrations of crankshaft of engine without
damper and that tted with viscous torsional vibration damper
(in Polish). Przegld Mechaniczny No. 9/2008
8. Jdrzejowski J.: Mechanics of car engine crank systems
(in Polish). WKi, 1986
9. Niewiarowski K.: Piston combustion engines (in Polish). WKi,
1973
10.Polish Register of Shipping: Calculation of crankshafts of
compression-ignition engines (in Polish). Publication No. 8/P,
Gdask, 2007
11. Wajand J. A., Wajand J. T.: Medium - and high - speed piston
combustion engines (in Polish). PWN, 1984
12.Wajand J.A.: Self ignition engines (in Polish). WKi, 1973.
CONTACT WITH THE AUTHOR

Wojciech Homik, Ph. D.

Rzeszw University of Technology
The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics
Al. Powstacw Warszawy 8,
35-959 Rzeszw, POLAND
tel.: 17 865 1100 w 1637, 17 865 1637
e-mail: [email protected]
e-mail: [email protected]

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