This paper is for the user of rotating equipment. Reliability is the key to the bottom line and rotordynamics is often the significant factor in determining reliability. Rotordynamics is a very interesting and complicated subject. The importance of this subject has increased over the last few decades, particularly in smaller equipment such as pumps. As machine speeds have increased and higher flows and efficiencies have become necessary, the side effect has been to introduce new rotordynamics problems. These include critical speeds, unbalance response and rotor stability. An example of a recently seen problem involved the application of variable frequency drives to vertical pumps which induced structural resonances in the system at operating speeds. The object of this paper is to discuss various aspects of rotordynamics that are general and then apply these to some examples. The mathematics will be kept to a minimum and as many helpful "rules of thumb" will be included as this subject allows.
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