Assessing the fatigue wear effect on traction coefficient and dynamic performance of roller bearing

Abstract

Rolling element bearings are commonly employed in rotating machinery to support rotating shafts. These machinery elements are vulnerable to failure due to increased friction and heat, which cause progressive wear on the rolling interaction surfaces of the bearing. The failure of bearings causes an unpredicted shutdown of equipment, leading to an increase in downtime and financial losses. Various condition monitoring techniques have been developed for periodic assessment of failure in roller-bearing systems. The focus of this work is to establish a relationship between surface fatigue wear, film thickness $(h)$ , asperity load ratio $(L_a)$ , lubricant film stiffness $(K_{lub})$ and traction coefficient $(f)$ parameters. A periodic assessment of the above-mentioned parameters was made on the test bearing, which was subjected to a fatigue test for 2000 h. The results acquired from the experimental study highlighted that, as surface fatigue wear on the bearing interaction surfaces and lubricant degradation occurred with an increase in fatigue load cycles, the asperity load ratio $(L_a)$ and traction coefficient $(f)$ parameters showed a gradual rise in trend which further resulted in a difference in the dynamic behaviour of the bearing system.