PARAMETRIC EVALUATION OF A SOLID-LUBRICATED BALL-BEARING

Parametric evaluations, based on analytical simulations of the dynamic performance of a solid-lubricated ball bearing, indicate that, for prescribed operating conditions and lubricant traction behavior at the ball/race contact, a reduction in the ball/cage pocket and cage/race guiding land clearances result in an increased frequency of collision both at the ball/cage and cage/race interfaces. The actual magnitudes of the collision forces are relatively insensitive to these clearances. The reduced clearances also lead to a coning motion of the cage and tight clearances at both the cage pocket and guiding land result in adverse cage/race interaction, when the cage is outer-race guided for the typical turbine engine bearing considered.