Thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication analysis of the oil film temperature in tapered roller bearings

Abstract

Tapered roller bearings often experience thermal deformation and stress concentration due to high temperature during prolonged operation. However, the traditional model for calculating bearing heat does not consider the thermal elastohydrodynamic behavior of the lubricant. To address this issue, this paper proposes a finite line contact model based on thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication analysis for calculating the temperature distribution of the lubricant within tapered roller bearings. The temperature of the lubricant is solved using the column-by-column technique. The results show that the temperature distributions along the thickness of the oil film are symmetrical, with the highest temperature occurring at the middle layer. Furthermore, the temperature at the middle layer increases with both the bearing speed and the concentrated load. These findings provide a theoretical framework for calculating the temperature distribution of lubricated bearings, offering valuable insights for practical applications.