The Influences of Race Failure on Ball Motions in a Radial Ball Bearing under a Radial Load

Abstract

Many investigations on the problems of ball motion in ball bearings have been reported. However, studies of the influence of race failure on ball motions are few. Recently, utilizing the Hall effect, a new method to measure three-dimensional ball motion was developed. It is now possible to analyze the angular velocity components of ball rotation from experimental data by this method. The authors carried out a series of experiments on ball motion using damaged bearings. In this paper the experimental results obtained under shaft speeds on N_i=12 rpm, 1000 rpm and a radial load P_r=490 N are reported. The effect of shaft speed and the influence of damaged race on ball motion are discussed based on the analysis of the experimental data.