Current Status of and Future Innovations in Rolling Bearing Modeling

Current state-of-the-art in modeling the performance of rolling bearings is reviewed in terms of fundamental analytical formulations and the development of computer codes for performance simulations. Some of the basic equations, which constitute the foundation of the various types of models, are reviewed before presenting a schematic approach for the development of rolling bearing models. Some of the key developments over the last several decades that have led to the current status of rolling bearing modeling are presented. Though some of the models are restricted to the developing organizations, and their use is only available in terms of application support, others have been packaged in the form of commercially available software products. These models provide immediate practical implementation of several tribological disciplines in their most up-to-date and advanced form. With the advancements in high-speed computing technologies, solutions to the most sophisticated analytical formulations have become possible. However, the parallel advancement in rotating machinery systems has continued to challenge the state-of-the-art of rolling bearing modeling and in order to meet the future requirements, further developments in certain areas are required. Such requirements include improvements in lubricant behavior, development of lubricant and material property databases, more advanced thermal management and modeling of bearing interactions, more sophisticated models to estimate energy dissipated in lubricant churning and drag, and implementation of modern object-oriented computing languages for better support of modeling software products on the current and anticipated future computer systems.