Experimental Assessment of Influence of the Ball Bearing Raceway Curvature Ratio on the Level of Vibration

Raceway curvature ratio is a very important parameter, because its values influence the performance characteristics of rolling-element bearings, their durability and the level of generated vibrations. However, the level of generated vibrations is one of the most important operating parameters of the rolling-element bearings. Excessive vibrations generated by rolling-element bearings affect the operation of the whole mechanism. The article presents experimental studies aimed at evaluation of influence of the inner and outer raceway curvature ratios of 6304-type rolling-element bearings on generated vibrations values. The raceway curvature ratio was determined based on results of metrological measurements. For this purpose, the radii of the inner and outer raceways as well as the diameters of the balls were measured. Design and principle of operation of an innovative system for analysis of the raceway geometry of the rolling bearing rings was presented. The vibration analysis was carried out in three frequency ranges, i.e. low (50-300 Hz), medium (300-1,800 Hz) and high (1,800-10,000 Hz). Values of measured vibrations were expressed in Anderon units. The test results showed that increase in the raceway curvature ratio causes a moderate decrease in the value of the generated vibrations. The research results presented in this article will serve as a guidance to designers and manufacturers of the rolling-element bearings on how to modify the geometry of raceways and balls to obtain bearings that generate low vibration values. That is very important in car transportation.