Calculation method of contact stress for cylindrical roller bearings considering outer ring installation skew angle

Purpose – This study aims to enhance the accuracy of contact-stress predictions for cylindrical roller bearings by explicitly accounting for outer-ring installation skew and non-Hertzian contact mechanics, thereby clarifying key parameter effects and informing design optimization and failure prevention. Design/methodology/approach – A quasi-static, non-Hertzian contact model for cylindrical-roller bearings is developed from internal geometry and solved via a variable-parameter Newton method to compute contact stresses. Using a roller bearing, the effects of radial load, overturning moment, outer-ring installation skew and roller crowning are assessed independently. Model predictions are validated through skew tests on a bearing rig operating at 20, 000 rpm, representative of service conditions. Findings – Contact and edge stresses increase with radial load, overturning moment and outer-ring installation skew. Under the test conditions, radial load 5, 000 N; inner-ring speed 20, 000 rpm, a 4’ skew raises the inner-raceway peak contact stress to 1, 610.4 MPa, substantially exceeding the ideal-alignment case. Increasing roller crowning value from 0.005 to 0.02 mm effectively suppresses and may eliminate edge stresses, with only a modest increase in overall contact stress. Experimental measurements accord with the predicted trends, validating the proposed model. Originality/value – This work develops and experimentally validates a quasi-static, non-Hertzian contact model that explicitly incorporates outer-ring installation skew, rigorously quantifies the coupled effects of radial load, overturning moment, skew and roller crowning on contact and edge stresses and provides actionable guidance on crowning specification and installation tolerances to suppress edge stress and mitigate bearing failure.