Rotor dynamic problems with rotor to stator contact interactions are dealt with in the literature by 1D local models. This leads to an affordable simulation time, but the corresponding approximations are difficult to assess. Since the contact is limited in space and time, the same strategy can therefore be used with 3D models. A strategy, called switch, allowing the use of a beam model and a 3D model (or beam-3D mixed model), at two different stages of the same simulation, is developed. It is implemented in a non-intrusive way for the simulation of transient dynamic problems, with or without an overall rotation, solved by an implicit time integration scheme. The switch is validated by comparison with a 3D reference solution obtained by performing the full simulation on the 3D model. We, then, compare and analyze the results of 1D and 3D rotor-stator contact problems, for different contact conditions more and less severe. The rotor vibrations are due to rotating imbalance at a given constant rotating speed. It appears that the differences between the 1D and the 3D results are not obvious on the rotor orbits. However, the limitations of the 1D simulation are highlighted. Indeed, the rigid body section assumption in a beam model of the rotor leads to approximations in the spatial distribution of the contact forces and their intensity. The 3D model, however, can present some local effects in the vicinity of the contact zone.
