Experimental study of stable and unstable cage movement of an angular contact ball bearing

The characteristic motion of a rolling bearing depends significantly on the cage movement. The analysis of the cage movement is important to recognize the fundamental mechanisms of rolling bearing kinematics and to improve the concentricity and smooth running of the rolling bearing. Therefor this paper describes the movement of the center of a phenolic cage in an angular contact ball bearing under operational conditions, which is detected by image acquisition of a high speed camera. In the stable case, the cage center moves in a circular orbit which depends on shaft speed and running time. The unstable operational condition is characterised by a rattling noise and a circular movement of the cage center counterwise the rotational direction of the shaft with significant higher frequency.