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A Novel Method on Numerical Analysis to Predict Non-Newtonian Lubricant (Grease) Distribution in Ball Bearing

Grease is a visco-elastic fluid and the most common lubricant for rolling bearings. During churning phase (initial phase) of bearing operation, most of grease is adjusted at various locations of bearing like seal, bottom of cage bar, cage pockets, which are also called grease reservoirs. They are formed based on bearing operating conditions, grease type, bearing geometry and type. Grease reservoirs supply lubricant to bearing contacts via bleeding, i.e. during operation the oil bleeds out the reservoirs and lubricates the contacts. Since the distribution of grease reservoirs is crucial to optimum bearing lubrication, the design of bearing components, e.g. the cage, aims at an optimal grease distribution after the churning phase. It is difficult to observe the effect of component design on the grease distribution through real life experiments, so CFD simulations with MPS (Moving Particle Simulation) method are performed here. Flow Simulations with MPS method can help determine the factors which influence the grease distribution inside the bearing after churning, with the final aim of enhancing lubrication. For the current simulations, a CAE software based on MPS, namely Particleworks was used. Grease consists of a base oil, a thickener and additives. Since it is a non-Newtonian fluid, it has a nonlinear relation shear stress vs shear rate. It is a visco elastic material, so it does not flow in the absence of a threshold force. At larger shear rates, shear thinning occurs and grease viscosity decreases. For current simulations, the grease rheology has been modeled using the Herschel-Bulkley model, based on in-house rheometer test data. A segmented approach was used for the bearing, wherein we only considered a single cage-rolling element segment. The grease was injected from various locations, e.g. close to the Inner Ring, close to the gap between IR and cage etc. It was found that, the injection of grease from IR was one of most realistic injection location, as it allows the identification and the investigation of all grease reservoirs. Various sensitivity study of particle size, time step, surface tension parameters and speed of bearing showed that realistic locations of grease reservoirs at the cage bottom, at the top of cage and at the cage pockets could be predicted. This is an important milestone, as we are able for the first time to virtually simulate the onset of grease reservoirs at locations corresponding to evidence from real bearing operations. The distribution of grease observed at the cage pockets is very important for oil film replenishment. This outcome gives us confidence that the MPS methods can be used to study the influence of the bearing component design to enhance lubrication in future.

Document Details

ReferenceNWC23-0287-extendedabstract
AuthorsMandrile. F Tesini. P Bogliacino. F Mandrile. F P Pandya. M
LanguageEnglish
TypeExtended Abstract
Date 16th May 2023
OrganisationSKF Industrie S.p.A.
RegionGlobal

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