Analysis of Friction and Lubrication Characteristics of Tapered Roller Bearings Under Thermal Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication

Both excessive friction coefficient and excessively thin oil film can have negative effects on the lubrication performance of bearings. This study focuses on the numerical solution of the thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication problem and analyzes the lubrication performance of tapered roller bearings using friction coefficient and minimum film thickness as evaluation criteria. The results show that the friction coefficient increases with the sliding-to-rolling ratio, concentrated load, and inner ring rotational speed of the bearing but decreases with the increase in equivalent curvature radius and half-cone angle of the tapered roller. On the other hand, the minimum film thickness increases with the inner ring rotational speed and equivalent curvature radius of the tapered roller but decreases with the increase in sliding-to-rolling ratio, concentrated load, and half-cone angle of the tapered roller.