Numerical and experimental analysis of coupled transverse and longitudinal vibration of a marine propulsion shaft

An appropriate assessment of the dynamic behavior of marine propulsion shaft in ships is essential to enable optional delivery of power to the propeller and to minimize unnecessary vibration. Various vibrations coupling with each other can significantly influence the dynamical behavior of the shaft and threaten the reliability of ships. This paper presents a finite element analysis model with multiple constraint conditions to analyze the coupled transverse and longitudinal vibrations of a marine propulsion shaft. Based on this model, in addition to the coupled natural frequencies of each direction, the maximum acceleration are also determined. Furthermore, the simulation of an idling and loading vibration analysis is discussed and validated against experimental results, over a range of rotational speeds. The output of numerical simulation is found to agree with the corresponding results from experimental tests. Finally, an accurate and applicative FEA model for coupled transverse-longitudinal vibration of shaft has been obtained.