Influence of the cage on the migration and distribution of lubricating oil inside a ball bearing

摘要

The migration and distribution of lubricant oil in a rolling bearing strongly affect the elastohydrodynamic lubrication performance between the balls and rings.However,oil re-lubrication is highly dependent on the bearing design,which is different from the ball-on-disc model.This study directly observed the distribution of the lubricant film in a custom-made model-bearing rig,with an outer ring replaced by a glass ring to allow full optical access.The influence of the cage type and surface properties were presented.The physical origin of the re-lubrication mechanism,including capillary flow and mechanical redistribution,was discussed.