Vibration Analysis of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) Deep Groove Ball Bearing

Abstract

Polymer matrix composites have shown the ability to balance traditional polymer properties such as low weight and ease of processability with the strength and stiffness of reinforcing agents. Ball bearings are broadly used in industry from home appliances to aerospace industry. In order to prevent catastrophic damages, the proper functioning of these machine elements is extremely important. Therefore, it is important to examine the condition of the bearings and to know the severity of the defects prior to they cause severe catastrophic damages. Hence, the study of vibrations produced by these defects plays a significant role in quality check as well as for condition monitoring of the ball bearing/machine element. In this paper, an attempt is made to study the performance of polymer ball bearings made with Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) material using vibration analysis on different components of the bearing structure using the time and frequency domain parameters. This paper investigates the relationship between vibration frequency, RMS, amplitude and kurtosis for different speeds on new and defective ball bearing conditions.