An Overview of Performance Characteristics, Experiencesand Trends of Aerospace Engine Bearings Technologies

In this paper, the operating conditions, technical requirements, performance characteristics, design ideas, application experiences and development trends of aerospace engine bearings, including material technology, integration design and reliability, are reviewed. The development history of aerospace engine bearing is recalled briefly at first. Then today＇s material technologies and the high bearing performances of the bearings obtained through the new materials are introduced, which play important roils in the aeroengine bearing developments. The integration design ideas and practices are explained to indicate its significant advantages and importance to the aerospace engine bearings. And the reliability of the shaft-bearing system is pointed out and treated as the key requirement with goals for both engine and bearing. Finally, as it is believed that the correct design comes from practice, the pre-qualification rig testing conducted by FAG Aerospace GmbH ＆ Co. KG is briefly illustrated as an example. All these lead to the development trends of aerospace engine bearings from different aspects.

The Evolution of Reliability and Efficiency of Aerospace Bearing Systems

The worldwide air traffic underwent a rapid development in recent decades.?Between the early 70s and the late 90s of the last century civil air traffic?doubled every 15 years. The civil aviation market will continue to grow with 4% - 5%?each year within the next 20 years. This enormous growth represents major?challenges for airframers, engine makers, suppliers, airlines, air traffic management?and ground infrastructure. In addition, the public debate on the worldwide?civil air traffic is dominated by environmental and climate issues, even though only 2% of the man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are due to air transportation. Therefore the aerospace industry will have to focus on a low-emission and quite air traffic, and on the conservation of natural resources and our environment. The end-use consumer and environmental policy requirements?for aircrafts of the next generation translate into components with improved efficiency and reliability. Rolling bearings are one of these components which?significantly determine the reliability and mechanical efficiency of aerospace applications such as aircraft and rotorcraft engines and transmission systems.?They have to withstand very demanding operating conditions. Especially main shaft?bearings in modern aircraft engines experience high rotational speeds andtemperatures. Furthermore aerospace bearings have to meet the highest reliability?standards and require low-weight design solutions. These operating conditions?and requirements present a continuous challenge for improvements in all?fields of bearing technology. This article presents solutions in aspects of materials, design, analysis, and surface technologies in order to meet the environmental, reliability, and economical requirements of advanced aerospace bearing systems. State of the art bearing analysis and advanced bearing design solutions?contributing to lower friction power losses and increased systems efficiency?are discussed. Weight, functional, and maintenance benefits are presented with the example of highly integrated aircraft engine main shaft bearings. It is also shown that the progress in bearing materials and surface technology development is the basis for weight and friction energy reduction in aerospace?bearing systems.

Fundamentals of Design and Technology of Rolling Element Bearings

This article presents an overview of fundamentals of rolling element bearing designs and technologies. The aim is to outline the complex interrelation of all fundamentals with the rolling contact fatigue and the attainable bearing life. Such fundamentals include, amongst others, bearing stressing and life capability. The article shows the different types of rolling bearing stressing and the analysis of the stress distribution （principal stresses and equivalent stresses） in the material under the rolling contact area. It becomes obvious that the contamination of the bearing with foreign particles leads to a drastic reduction in bearing life. Furthermore, it demonstrates the impact of the bearing lubrication and coating as well as the effect of additives on the attainable life and wear. Further fundamentals of rolling element bearing de- sign are the materials, the material cleanliness and the heat treatment. The article reveals the importance of the clean- liness of bearing steels as well as different types of inclusions and their effect on rolling contact fatigue. Additionally the article describes how to optimize the material properties （strength, toughness and residual stress） by the heat treat- nlent processes. The outcome of these investigations is that endurance life of a rolling element bearing can be achieved if specific operating conditions, an adequate lubrication, good system cleanliness and specific bearing stressing are met. The article provides a guideline for bearing engineers on how designs and technologies can be applied to optimizing a bearing for a particular industry or aerospace application.