Study on the effect of angular misalignment and axial preload on the mechanical properties of four-point angular contact ball bearings

Abstract

Four-Point Angular Contact Ball Bearing (FPCBB) is widely used in high-speed power systems due to their capacity to withstand axial forces in two different directions, high-speed capabilities, and space-saving design. This paper presents a unified 5-degree-of-freedom quasi-static model of FPCBB, explicitly addressing the influences of axial preload and angular misalignment. Through this model, the impacts of preload and misalignment on the contact state of FPCBB are investigated. The D'Alembert principle is employed to calculate the pitch angles of balls instead of the Raceway Control Hypothesis (RCH). Furthermore, the different effects of the two preload ways on the mechanical properties of bearings under the presence of angular misalignment were comprehensively analyzed. The findings reveal that both preload and misalignment significantly affect the mechanical properties of FPCBB. Notably, under conditions of angular misalignment, the effect of fixed position preload surpasses that of constant pressure preload. These results provide valuable guidance for evaluating the performance of FPCBB in practical applications.