Which symptom directly indicates a turbine has reached critical speed?

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Multiple Choice

Which symptom directly indicates a turbine has reached critical speed?

Explanation:
When a turbine reaches critical speed, the rotor’s rotation matches one of its natural frequencies, causing resonance. Energy builds up in that vibration mode and the amplitude becomes large, so the rotor shakes violently. This violent vibration is the clearest, direct sign that the turbine has hit its critical speed. Overheating points to thermal or friction problems, stall relates to flow stability and is not a resonance indicator, and uncontrolled acceleration points to control or fuel issues rather than rotor resonance.

When a turbine reaches critical speed, the rotor’s rotation matches one of its natural frequencies, causing resonance. Energy builds up in that vibration mode and the amplitude becomes large, so the rotor shakes violently. This violent vibration is the clearest, direct sign that the turbine has hit its critical speed. Overheating points to thermal or friction problems, stall relates to flow stability and is not a resonance indicator, and uncontrolled acceleration points to control or fuel issues rather than rotor resonance.

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