Pitch bearing/raceway fretting: Influence of contact angle

In this paper, a three-dimensional numerical simulation (using ABAQUS) of the radial and tangential wear between a ball bearing and a raceway is presented. The aim was to study the influence of the contact angle between ball and raceway on the fretting. A range of contact angles was studied with critical parameters such as contact stress, relative slip, plastic deformation, and contact state. The model was validated against experimental data. The results show that with an increase in the contact angle, the area of maximum stress increases, the bearing capacity of the raceway decreases, and the maximum radial stress moves from the sub-surface to the raceway surface. The raceway surface is shown to be prone to peeling and wear, which reduces the service life of the raceway.