Analysis of Friction-Induced Vibrations of a Xerographic Cleaning Blade

In this article, friction-induced vibrations of a xerographic cleaning blade are investigated theoretically and numerically. Using a finite element model, eigenvalue analysis of the blade vibration is conducted considering the friction force between the cleaning blade and the photoreceptor. It is indicated that two different mechanisms exist for the cleaning blade vibrations: the negative speed dependence of the friction coefficient and the friction induced coupling of certain vibration modes. Numerical analysis is carried out for a typical blade, and the unstable vibration modes are predicted for both mechanisms. Simulations are performed to verify the results of the eigenvalue analysis and to obtain additional results regarding the characteristics of the nonlinear vibrations in the time domain. The results are in agreement with vibrations observed in recent years in many xerographic cleaning subsystems.