Modeling the dynamic interactions of rolling bearings

Abstract

This work deals with the generation and propagation of structure-borne sound by the rolling contact in bearings. Rolling bearings are widely used in machines and, in early stages of operation, the interaction of the rough surfaces of races and rolling bodies produces an excitation that will propagate to the surrounding structure. The dissertation presents a model for the determination of the structure-borne excitation due to rolling, using the condition of the surfaces and the dynamics of the rolling movement as input. The model is able to simulate the time evolution of the excitation generated by the bearing that is imposed to the machine. Additionally, this work describes the experimental evaluation of the influence of the path between the point where the excitation is generated (in the bearing) to the point where it is usually measured (on the machine’s housing) using special actuators made of one rolling element. Measurements under running conditions are made for comparisons with cylindrical and spherical rolling bearings. This approach shows that a deeper insight in the understanding of machine vibration can be gained when one tries to model sources and treats the system as a filter that has to be described in order to evaluate the influence of the transfer path. Publisher: Logos Verlag Berlin, 2008; ISBN: 978-3-8325-2010-6.