Numerical Research of the Influences of the Outer Raceway Curvature Radii on the EHL Properties of Ball Bearing

Based on numerical simulation, the influences of outer raceway curvature radii on some EHL properties of deep groove ball bearing were studied in detail. It was found that the second peak film pressure value decreases with the increase of curvature radius Ry. The minimal film thickness increases at first and then decreases with the increase of curvature radius Ry. The minimum film thickness reaches the maximal value when curvature radius Ry is about 1.7r. Film thickness becomes thinner with the increase of Rx with keeping other parameters constant. The conclusions obtained in this paper are very helpful to practical design of ball bearings.