An air film damper (AFD) with metal rubber as the outer ring was presented

which was designed as the assistant support and damping component for rotor systems.The mechanical model of AFD was established and the mechanism of AFD was explained.A rotor system with AFD and the testing rig were constructed in order to verify the performances of AFD as an assistant support and damping component comparing with a rotor system without AFD.Based on the measurements of the displacements and the phrases of AFD

the tracking vibration response process of the air film ring was captured.Comparing the phrases of the air film ring with the journal

the mechanism and damping properties of AFD was testified.Moreover

the effects of the original air film clearance on the properties of AFD were studied.The results show that due to the moveable metal rubber ring

the air film ring can adjust the displacement and phrase with the vibration of the journal automatically

which presents an automatic adaptability of AFD.Combining the stiffness and damping of the metal rubber ring and the air film

AFD

being an assistant support and damping component

can provide additional support stiffness and effective damping to the rotor system

which can reduce the vibration of the rotor system.Furthermore

a smaller original air film clearance would result in a more additional stiffness and better damping effect.