Analysis of the lubricating mechanism for tilting rollers in rolling bearings

摘要

In practice, the tilting roller occurs widely in rolling bearings. In order to investigate the lubricating mechanism of tilting rollers in rolling bearings, a contact between a tilting cylindrical roller and an infinite plane is assumed in the present paper. Using the multi-grid method, a numerical solution has been obtained for the isothermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication of the contact. The film thickness and pressure with different tilt angles have been given. Results show that the property of the tilting roller’s lubrication is different from that of the parallel roller contact investigated in the past, and asymmetry is common both for the film thickness and the oil pressure under tilting conditions. Moreover, the larger the tilt angle, the smaller the minimum film thickness, and the more easily the local wear occurs in bearings. The effects of the maximum Hertzian pressure, velocity parameter, and length and end profile radius of the roller on the lubricating performance of the contact have been discussed. The conclusion can be made that better lubrication of tilting roller contact needs light load, high velocity parameter, short length, and larger end profile radius of the roller. Comparisons between the starved and fully flooded lubrication in the tilting roller contact have been given, and it has been found that starvation status can worsen the lubrication and reduce the life of roller bearings.