Date of Award
Spring 2011
Document Type
Open Access
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Mechanical Engineering
First Advisor
Philip A. Voglewede
Second Advisor
Mark Nagurka
Third Advisor
Kevin Craig
Abstract
Vibration of rotating machinery caused by mass imbalance is the most frequent source of unwanted disturbing forces and also the most preventable. In the case of a CT scanner, unwanted vibration in the equipment causes artifacts to the X-ray image, and therefore all measures are taken to eliminate imbalance. The CT scanner is a multi-component rotating body, therefore making it a challenge to account for many discrete components, each with unique variation. This research developed the equations for static and dynamic balance including considerations for inertia. The variation of the components was studied using two models: a sensitivity analysis and a statistical approach. A method was developed to allocate tolerances for mass and center of gravity to the discrete components in order to produce a system capable of being balanced yet manufacturable.