Rolling Element Bearing Contact Geometry Analysis

Abstract

Rolling element bearings are subjected to a variety of loads during the operation of machinery. Raceway contact geometries should be designed and analyzed in a manner which accurately models internal contact stress distributions for these different load cycle conditions. To properly determine contact stresses, analyses should determine the orientation of rolling elements relative to the raceways through consideration of load, bearing alignment and bearing internal geometry. Since design loads are not always well defined and machinery upgrades may increase loads, contact geometry designs should have sufficient flexibility to handle conditions differing from the initial design loads. An analytical procedure with examples is discussed. Presented at the 50th Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois May 14–19, 1995