Vibration response analysis of high-speed cylindrical roller bearings using response surface method

Abstract

The operating clearance in a bearing influences friction, load zone size and fatigue life of a bearing. Hence, an effort is made to investigate the effect of radial internal clearance on the dynamical behavior of a cylindrical roller bearing system with an unbalance present in the system. The differential equations representing the dynamics of the cylindrical roller bearings have been derived using Lagrange’s equations and solved numerically using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta iterative method. The nonlinear vibration signature has been analyzed due to the clearance and the same is represented by various tools like Acceleration-time plots, Poincaré plots and FFT plots. The approximation method is used to calculate the load distribution and deformation of the individual rollers located at a different position in the load zone, for a preloading/interference fit and positive internal clearance. A response surface method is used to analyze the severity involved in the system due to the combined effect of independent variables like rotor speed, radial load, and radial internal clearance. The observations presented here are not only useful to diagnose the bearing health condition with respect to parametric effects but also exhibit their interactive effects on bearing performance.