A novel test rig for the investigation of roller–cage impacts of a needle roller bearing

Abstract

Collisions between a roller and its cage result in crack initiation and propagation, leading to the fracture of the cage bridge. The impact forces applied to a needle roller-bearing cage bridge can change the cage’s strain distribution, which is related to the relative speed of the roller and cage. In this work, a needle roller-bearing roller–cage impact test rig was built to quantify cage strain and investigate the effects of speed on roller–cage impact forces. On the cage bridge, three crack sizes were machined and put on the needle roller-bearing roller–cage impact test rig. The strain was measured by a strain gauge positioned on the cage. An encoder measured the shaft speed. The effects of impact speed and crack size on roller–cage impact force and cage deformation were investigated.