Abstract
Reaction wheels, by change of their speed, generate reaction torques which control the attitude of satellites. During mission, these wheels are often running in the vicinity of zero speed with frequent crossings of zero speed or start-stop operation. Because most reaction wheels are equipped with ball bearings, a theoretical and experimental investigation was conducted to find out whether life is limited by operating those ball bearings over quite extended periods in a speed range, where no full elastohydrodynamic lubrication is possible. A total of 12 600 triangular-speed cycles were conducted with tests of the performance in intervals of about 1000 cycles. Subsequently, the ball bearings were inspected. From the results, it can be deduced that these ball bearings fulfill the life requirements for 7- to 10-years missions with high reliability.
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