Effects of Ball Rotation on Internal Flow of Under-Race Lubrication of High Speed Ball Bearing

High-speed ball bearings are in high-speed rotation under normal working conditions. At this time，the oil phase and gas phase move violently between the bearing rings due to gravity and centrifugal force. In order to analyze the two-phase flow between the bearing rings more accurately，the volume of fluid （VOF） model is adopted to simulate the internal flow field，and the multiple rotating coordinate system is used to solve the movement of the component. A calculation model for lubrication under the bearing ring of a ball bearing is established，and the flow inside the bearing under consideration of the rotation of the ball is analyzed. On this basis，the influence of speed and oil supply on the working state of the bearing is investigated. The results show that comparing the bearing model with the ball rotation model，it is found that the ball rotation increases the oil volume fraction inside the bearing，and also increases the ability of the oil to penetrate the clearance to reach the outer ring. Considering the rotation of the ball，the continuous increase in speed makes the oil phase volume fraction inside the bearing to continuously decrease. In the case of low speed，the ball rotation has a more obvious influence on the fluid movement. In the case of high speed，the revolution speed plays a leading role in the fluid movement，and the ball rotation has a weaker influence on the fluid movement. The continuous increase in the amount of oil supply makes the oil phase volume fraction inside the ball rotation model also continue to increase，and the ball rotation movement will strengthen the distribution of lubricating oil inside the bearing. © 2022 Journal of Propulsion Technology. All rights reserved.