Operating temperature in high-speed ball bearing

Frictional heating in high-speed bearings has been one of the primary factors for the failure of the main shaft bearing in aero engines. In order to exactly evaluate the heat generation and temperature in the bearing, a process has been developed, based on power consumption, which allows evaluation of heat generation in the high-speed ball bearing. A model for computing the temperature of the high-speed ball bearing with axisymmetric load is set up. In this model, heat sources in the raceways are treated as moving and the heat generation in the ball and cage is averaged on the circumferential zone through which the heat source passes. Using the process and model presented here, heat generation and the transient temperature of a ball bearing are obtained.