Analysis of ball bearing vibrations caused by outer race waviness

An analytical investigation of the shaft vibration caused by a ball bearing is presented in this paper. Bearing vibration could be caused by a number of factors, such as defects occurring on the race track or the rolling elements. A common problem with defective bearings is the generation of waviness on the outer race track during the manufacturing process. The vibration of an automobile drive shaft caused by rolling elements rolling over the waviness surface is transmitted to the passenger cabin, and produces undesirable noise. In this paper an analytical study is undertaken to evaluate the effect of waviness number, radial gap and shaft imbalance on the bearing vibration. An experimental investigation was carried out to confirm the analytical study. The results show that the analytical study and experimental investigation agree very well.