Friction moment calculation method for tapered roller bearings under combined loads

Tapered roller bearings(TRBs) can withstand axial loads, radial loads, and overturning moments. The performance, safety, and efficiency of rotating machinery are directly influenced by the friction moments within the TRBs. However, most current research has relied on empirical formulas that focus on axial loads. Additionally, the friction coefficient between the rollers and the inner ring rib has been defined using simple empirical methods. In actual applications, the loads on TRBs are not purely axial or radial, and simple empirical friction coefficients do not adequately account for the varying lubrication conditions. To address this challenge, this study proposes an improved method for calculating the friction moments of TRB under combined axial and radial loads. This study employs a calculation method for sliding friction coefficients that can model dry, boundary, elastohydrodynamic, and mixed lubrication conditions. To demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method, the friction moments obtained using the existing and proposed methods are compared. Additionally, the influence of TRB structural parameters on the friction moment is discussed. An experimental study is conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The findings provide valuable insights for designing TRB structural parameters to minimize friction moments.

Friction moment analysis of space gyroscope bearing with ribbon cage under ultra-low oscillatory motion

This paper presents the model of calculating the total friction moment of space gyroscope ball bearings which usually work under ultra-low oscillatory motion and are very sensitive to the friction moment. The aim is to know the proportion of the friction moment caused by each frictional source in the bearing＇s total friction moment, which is helpful to optimize the bearing design to deduce the friction moment. In the model, the cage dynamic equations considering six degree-of-freedom and the balls dynamic equations considering two degree-of-freedom were solved.The good trends with different loads between the measured friction moments and computational results prove that the model under constant rate was validated. The computational results show that when the speed was set at 5 r/min, the bearing＇s maximum total friction moment when oscillation occurred was obviously larger than that occurred at a constant rate. At the onset of each oscillatory motion, the proportion of the friction moment caused by cage in the bearing＇s total friction moment was very high, and it increased with the increasing speed. The analyses of different cage thicknesses and different clearances between cage pocket and ball show that smaller thickness and clearance were preferred.