EHL Analysis of Rolling Bearings Considering the Effect of the Number of Rolling Elements and the Shaft Load

Abstract

The numerical analysis of elastohydrodynamic lubrication for the ball and roller bearings is performed in order to study the effect of the number of rolling elements and the shaft load on the minimum film thickness. A finite difference method and the Newton-Raphson method are used in the analysis. For a given shaft load, the maximum load of rolling element is determined along with the number of rolling elements. And then the minimum film thickness is calculated for several rolling bearings. The shape of film thickness and the pressure distribution are also studied.