A METHODOLOGY FOR ANALYZING RADIAL BALL BEARING VIBRATIONS

This paper presents the development of a methodology for calculating radial ball bearing vibrations. First, analytical and numerical models were developed and then, the obtained results were experimentally verified. In the experiment, a test rig for a dynamic testing of bearings subjected to an external load was used. Special attention was paid to the analysis of the total bearing deformations and stiffness, being the main parameters that define the dynamic behaviour of a bearing. In order to determine total deformations of a ball bearing as an assembly, a finite element model of the bearing was developed. The results obtained from the new methodology for a particular ball bearing type have been verified by experimental results. The obtained correlations of the experimental and the numerical results are about 2.5%. Based on the calculations and the experimental testing of the chosen ball bearing type, under conditions of a variable radial load, the analysis of the influence of the radial load on the dynamic behaviour of a ball bearing was performed. The analysis of the obtained results showed that the vibration amplitude increases with a similar multiple factor as loads increase.