HIGH PRECISION CONTACT MODEL FOR BALL BEARINGS WITH WAVINESS

Studying high precision ball bearings requires the development of predictive models. In presence of waviness on the rings, geometrical and also mechanical parameters will vary according to the angular position. To consider these modifications, a nonlinear contact model is proposed with normal and tangential forces calculation using Hertz and Dahl's models. To solve the static equilibrium of the bearing, a highly modular energy method is developed. It allows the determination of both local and global parameters using the same equation. The 2D developed approach can be used to study different waviness orders and magnitudes to get a better understanding on how this affects the bearing behavior (contact load, balls gaping, pointing defects...). The presented results show that even small contact direction reorientation can create tangential forces. This modifies the bearing deflections and induces a residual moment. These phenomena can only be observed when the contact is accurately modeled.