Numerical Simulation and Experimental Validation of the Vibration Modes for a Processing Reciprocating Compressor

The low-order vibration modes of a reciprocating compressor were studied by means of numerical simulation and experimental validation. A shell element model, a beam element model, and two solid element models were established to investigate the effects of bolted joints and element types on low-order vibration modes of the compressor. Three typical cases were compared to check the effect of locations of moving parts on the vibration modes of the compressor. A forced modal test with the MRIT (Multiple References Impact Test) technique was conducted to validate the simulation results. Among four numerical models, the solid element model with the bolt-pretension method showed the best accuracy compared with experimental data but the worst computational efficiency. The shell element model is recommended to predict the low-order vibration modes of the compressor with regard to effectiveness and usefulness. The sparsely distributed bolted joints with a small bonded region on the contact surface were key bolted joints that had greater impacts on the low-order vibration modes of the compressor than the densely distributed bolted joints. The positions of the moving parts had little effect on the low-order vibration modes of the compressor.