Experimental Study on Cage Dynamic Characteristics of Angular Contact Ball Bearing in Acceleration and Deceleration Process

During acceleration and deceleration processes of a bearing, the kinetic relationship of collision and friction between the cage and the rolling element is complex, which has an important influence on the dynamic characteristics and stability of the rolling bearing. In this study, experimental investigation of the dynamic motions of a cage under various external radial loads was performed during acceleration and deceleration for an angular contact ball bearing with a constant axial load of 100 N. In a bearing test rig, cage motion in the axial and radial directions is measured via laser sensors; the bearing inner ring speed and the cage speed are measured by using eddy current and photoelectric speed sensors, respectively. The results reveal that acceleration and deceleration of the bearing significantly affect the dynamic characteristics of the cage. During the acceleration process, there is a critical speed at which the cage forms a circular whirl orbit. When the inner ring speed is lower than the critical speed, the mass center of the cage swings along the guide land but enters a circular whirl orbit once the critical speed is exceeded. Further, the greater the acceleration and radial load, the higher the critical speed. Similar results are revealed during the deceleration process. In addition, the cage slip ratio is proportional to the acceleration. Conversely, the cage slip ratio is inversely proportional to the radial load; however, the increasing radial load has minimal effect on cage slip rate when the radial load is greater than 100 N.