Abstract
In order to detect abnormalities in ball bearings, this study applies an ultrasonic technique to bearing life tests. Ultrasonic wave pulses (UWP) emitted from a piezoelectric UWP generator can partially reflect from the interfaces of contact zones within the housing and the bearing with regard to the different acoustic impedance between a solid-to-solid contact and a contact dominated by some fluid layers. Hence, the intensity of the resultant UWP echoes can be determined by the real contact area formed at the interfaces, so that this intensity can be used as a measure of the local contact pressure. The experimental results under the different operating conditions have demonstrated that the time intervals between peaks of UWP echoes varied in accordance with the movement of rolling balls and the lubricating phenomena in bearings. This behavior has further suggested the possibility of the early detection of abnormalities in ball bearings by using the variation in UWP echoes.
