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The damages to the structural elements, viz., inner race, outer race, rollers, cage, etc., of rolling contact bearings if not detected in time can cause tragic failures of the machineries supported by these bearings. The operating parameters like variations in the machinery speed, unbalance, operating load, etc., can cause a bearing to vibrate at higher energy levels and consequently will accelerate its wear. An attempt is made in this study, and a generalized model is developed using matrix method of dimensional analysis (MMDA) that predicted the response and correlated the dependent parameter, i.e., response with the significant independent parameters. Combined use of response surface methodology (RSM) is made to explore the dependence of various factors such as size of the defect, unbalance, speed, and their interactions on the vibration characteristics of the bearings. It is observed from the study that the model developed based on the MMDA has provided an efficient approach in recognizing the damaged bearing state, which can be easily implemented in the condition-based preventive maintenance strategies. Also, the effectiveness of MMDA as compared to the conventional Buckingham s pi theorem in the dimensional analysis (DA) practice, especially in the problems involving multiple variables, is shown in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin in frictional rolling contact can cause significant stress, which is the key to understanding and predicting the wear and fatigue behavior of contact components, such as wheels, rails, and rolling bearings. The lateral creep force arising from spin influences the kinematics of a wheelset and thus of vehicles. The solution that is currently employed in the field of elasticity and continuum statics was developed by Kalker and uses a boundary element method (BEM). In this paper, a new approach based on Lagrangian explicit finite element (FE) analysis is employed. This approach is able to consider arbitrary geometric profiles of rails and wheels, complex material behavior and dynamic effects, and some other factors. The new approach is demonstrated using a three-dimensional (3D) model of a wheel with a coned profile rolling along a quarter cylinder and can be easily adapted to apply to wheels and rails of arbitrary profiles. The 3D FE model is configured with elastic material properties and is used to obtain both normal and tangential solutions. The results are compared with those of the Hertz theory and the Kalker's model. The 3D FE model is then configured with elastoplastic material properties to study the spin-rolling contact with plasticity. The continuum dynamics phenomenon is captured by the FE model, which enhances the ability of the model to mimic reality. This improvement considerably extends the applicability of the FE model. The model can be applied to fatigue and wear analyses at gauge corners or rails as well as to deep groove bearings, where a large geometrical spin is present and plastic deformation may be of importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a series of publications, the author has shown that the passage of ductile microparticles through elastohydrodynamic (EHD) contacts results in frictional heating that can greatly affect suiface damage. The thermoviscoplastic numerical mode! built for those studies is extended in the present article. A more rigorous analysis of dynamic (strainrate) effects is performed and a new element of heating is introduced, namely, that owed to plastic work of the surfaces being indented. The model is then quantitatively validated against experimental data on soft and hard particles extruded in rolling and rolling-sliding contacts. It is also compared to past numerical predictions of the author. Following its validation, the model is further expanded to predict the formation of dark and white tribochemical layers of overtempered and untempered martensite, respectively, on steel surfaces, caused by the particle-induced frictional heating. Such layers are wellknown in machining processes of hardened steels as being the result of phase transformations and play a critical role in contact fatigue. The debris model in this article is used to predict the layer thickness and relative hardness for a variety of operating conditions. Layers of micrometric thickness are typically found and graphic examples are presented, linking their location to that of debris dents. A parametric study examines the role of particle size and hardness, Coulomb friction coefficient, and contact rolling velocity on dark and white layer thickness and relative hardness. The layers are zones of great inhomogeneity and thermomechanical anisotropy, increasing the risk of spalling by delamination as they are potential sources of crack initiation, particularly in sliding contacts. However, white layers in particular may actually be beneficial to contact fatigue in rolling contacts because of their substantially increased hardness. The conclusion of the study is that debris-driven suiface indentation and abrasion should no longer be viewed from a purely mechanistic or geometrical perspective but has to consider the tribochemical or microstructural-modification factor for the correct evaluation of the remaining useful life of a dented or abraded contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benefits of suiface textures for improving the peifornutnce behaviors of tribo-contacts are being explored and established by the investigators across the globe. But the consolidated information of findings of such explorations are spread. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to summarize the information available related to the preparation of surface textures and performance outcomes in the presence of suiface textures at the concentrated contacts. Mainly, recent research findings and practices followed for the study oj friction, wear, lubrication, contact fatigue, vibration, and noise at the generic concentrated contacts in presence of suiface textures are reviewed for current status of research in the area and outlining the future prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multibody dynamics of healthy and faulty rolling element bearings were modeled using vector bond graphs. A 33 degree of freedom (DOF) model was constructed for a bearing with nine balls and two rings (11 elements). The developed model can be extended to a rolling element bearing with n elements and (3 X n) DOF in planar and (6 X n) DOF in three dimensional motions. The model incorporates the gyroscopic and centrifugal effects, contact elastic deflections and forces, contact slip, contact separations, and localized faults. Dents and pits on inner race and outer race and balls were modeled through surface profile changes. Bearing load zones under various radial loads and clearances were simulated. The effects of type, size, and shape of faults on the vibration response in rolling element bearings and dynamics of contacts in the presence of localized faults were studied. Experiments with healthy and faulty bearings were conducted to validate the model. The proposed model clearly mimics healthy and faulty rolling element bearings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ball and rolling element bearings are perhaps the most widely used components in industrial machinery. They are used to support load and allow relative motion inherent in. the mechanism to take place. Subsurface originated spalling has been recognized as one of the main modes of failure for rolling contact fatigue (RCF) of bearings. In the past few decades a significant number of investigators have attempted to determine the physical mechanisms involved in rolling contact fatigue of bearings and proposed models to predict their fatigue lives. In this paper, some of the most widely used RCF models are reviewed and discussed, and their limitations are addressed. The paper also presents the modeling approaches recently proposed by the authors to develop life models and better understanding of the RCF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We deal with rolling contact between quasi-identical bodies. As normal and tangential problems are uncoupled in that case, the simplified approach to determine contact area and normal loading distribution for rolling contact problems is presented in See. 2. In Sec. 3, the solution of the tangential problem is used to update the rolling profiles and enables to follow the wear evolution versus time. The method used to solve the normal problem is called semi-Hertzian approach with diffusion. It allows fast determination of the contact area for non-Hertzian cases. The method is based on the geometrical indentation of bodies in contact: The contact area is found with correct dimensions but affected by some irregularities coming from the curvature's discontinuity that may arise during a wear process. Diffusion between independent stripes smoothes the contact area and the pressure distribution. The tangential problem is also solved on each stripe of the contact area using an extension of the simplified approach developed by Kalker and called FASTSIM. At the end, this approach gives the dissipated power distribution in the contact during rolling and this power is related to wear by Archard's law. This enables the profiles of the bodies to be updated and the evolution of the geometry to be followed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A running torque analysis was performed on axially loaded deep groove ball bearings lubricated with a polymer lubricant. The analysis included a Type I and a Type II bearing. The Type I bearing has a stamped steel riveted cage with its cavity packed with the polymer lubricant. The ball surface, except for the contact points of the ball and the raceways, was covered with the polymer lubricant. The Type II bearing had the polymer lubricant packed only on the riveted parts of the cage; the balls were not covered with the polymer lubricant. The analysis was applied to a 6206 deep groove ball bearing axially loaded in a range typical of preloads applied in actual application to this size bearing to establish bearing tare torque. The results were compared to an available database. The running torque formulas for deep groove ball bearings with polymer lubricant under axial load were proposed as the sums of the running torque caused by the shearing resistance of the mineral oil between the bearing rings and the polymer lubricant, the elastic hysteresis, the differential slip, the spinning friction of the balls, the elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) viscous rolling resistance, and the friction between the balls and the polymer lubricant (or the cage). The effects of the sources of the running torque were investigated. In the case of the Type I bearing, the running, torque caused by the friction between the balls and the polymer lubricant, the EHL viscous rolling resistance, and the shearing resistance of the mineral oil between the bearing rings and the polymer lubricant significantly affect the running torque. In the case of the Type II Bearing, the running torque caused by the EHL viscous rolling resistance and the shearing resistance of the mineral oil between the bearing rings and the polymer lubricant significantly affect the running torque. A reasonable correlation exists between the analysis and the database. However, the analysis needs to be further validated with bearing data from different size deep groove ball bearings run under varying loads and speeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indents perturb the pressure and stress distribution and increase the failure risk of rolling element bearings. A numerical study of the pressure perturbation is proposed. An existing dry contact model is extended to account for the indent shoulder influence and the pressure collapse in deeper indents. Moreover, results for pure rolling lubricated contacts are presented. Finally, the ellipticity influence is studied for both dry and lubricated contacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a hybrid superposition of an indentation contact and a rolling contact an analytical procedure is developed to evaluate the effects of surface adhesion during steady-state rolling contact, whereby two analytic solutions have been obtained. The first solution is a Hertz-type rolling contact between a rigid cylinder and a plane strain semi-infinite elastic substrate with finite adhesion, which is a JKR-type rolling contact but without singular adhesive traction at the edges of the contact zone. The second solution is of a rolling contact with JKR singular adhesive traction. The theoretical solution indicates that, when surface adhesion exists, the friction resistance can be significant provided the external normal force is small. In addition to the conventional friction coefficient, the ratio between friction resistance force and normal force, this paper suggests an "adhesion friction coefficient" which is defined as the ratio between friction resistance force and the sum of the normal force and a function of maximum adhesive traction per unit area, elastic constant of the substrate, and contact area that is characterized by the curvature of the roller surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]