Rotor systems are kernel components of rotating machinery in most industrial fields, such as aero-engines, gas turbines, steam turbines, generators, electric motors, and mechanical manufacturing. With the performance improvements of the rotating machinery, the complication of structural design is ever increasing. As a result, the rotor systems exhibit complicated nonlinear behaviors, which have become a serious threat to the security and stability of the whole system.

Dynamic analysis and control theory plays an essential role in the structural design and operating maintenance of nonlinear rotor systems by providing a deep insight into underlying characteristics, function mechanisms, and the general relationship between parameters and the degree of nonlinearity of the system. The exploration of how a rotor system bifurcates and loses its stability is full of challenges, delights, and significant values. The rotor system’s high degree of freedom, strong nonlinearity, a wide range of load and rotating speed, and variety of types of vibration faults promote the difficulty in investigating its bifurcation mechanisms. Meanwhile, the traditional solution methods such as the multiple scales method and the harmonic balance method are inadequate to meet the practical requirements. Therefore, more efficient and effective theoretical, numerical, and experimental methods need to be developed to understand the inside dynamic mechanism and characteristics of nonlinear rotor systems. Moreover, active, semi-active, and passive control techniques are expected to be applied to control unwanted vibrations from nonlinear rotor systems.

The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together original research and review articles in nonlinear dynamics and control of rotor systems. Submissions about advances, the current state of dynamic analysis, structural optimization, and vibration control of nonlinear rotor systems are welcome. Research on theories, simulations, experiments, and engineering applications are all welcome. We hope that this Special Issue will create an academic discussion in the field.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Dynamic modeling of nonlinear rotor systems
• Model reduction methods for nonlinear rotor systems
• Improvement of theoretical methods
• Simulation methods for rotor systems with a high degree of freedom
• Nonlinear dynamic analysis in practical rotor systems
• Bifurcation and chaos in nonlinear rotor systems
• Nonlinear vibration response characteristics of rotor systems with faults
• Vibration and stability control of nonlinear rotor systems
• Active, semi-active, and passive control techniques applied in rotor systems
• Applications of intelligent controls, adaptive controls, nonlinear controls, and linear controls in rotor systems
• Applications of intelligent materials in the control of rotor vibrations