Failure analysis of automobile engine pump shaft bearing

Hao Guo,Dongfeng Wang,Haitao Duan,Zongye Ding,Yongzhen Zhang,Sanming Du,Jianzhong Lei

doi:10.1177/16878140211009411

Abstract

The shaft bearing is the key component of water pump and its fatigue failure results in the abnormal operation of the system. However, the failure mechanisms of bearing are still unclear. In this paper, the failure analysis on the engine water pump shaft bearing was carried out by using the measurement of material composition and properties, observation of macro and micro morphologies, and theoretical analysis of fatigue failure. The wear behavior and failure mechanisms were clarified, and the prevention measures was further proposed. The bearing failure reflected from the fracture of bearing cage and serious wear of roller and mandrel. The wear behavior of the mandrel originated from the surface fatigue, and the failure was attributed to the large radial deflection load. Further, the decreased weight of impeller and shaft connector and the increased bearing thickness were recommended to improve the bearing operation.

Highlights

Compact structure, and low cost, the water pump shaft bearing has been widely used in the automobile engines
The overall bearing consisted of the deep groove ball bearing on the impeller side and the cylinder roller bearing on the power side (Figure 3(a))
It was concluded that the deep groove ball bearing on the impeller side operated normally

Summary

Introduction

Compact structure, and low cost, the water pump shaft bearing has been widely used in the automobile engines. The water pump is driven by crank shaft of the engine to circulate the coolant through water jackets dissipating heat under the operated pressure, which promotes the transformation of kinetic energy into pressure energy.[1,2] Due to the superior specific load moving ability, the bearings have been extensively utilized in the system of water pump to reduce the friction between contacted surfaces, and have been considered as the major components of water pump.[3] As the connection between the rotor and support, the safety and stability of bearings are the key to ensure the normal operation of water pump. With the development of science and technology, the increasingly harsh conditions of the bearing require higher and higher performance, and the bearing failure inevitably results in the major engineering equipment losses, economic losses, and casualties.[4,5] it is of significance

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion