Roller Bearing Design Optimization Applying Hertz Contact Theory 1999-01-3036

In a large part of the mechanical elements used in machines and equipment, the preponderant failure mode is not that of fatigue of the element itself, but certainly the fatigue of a small point where the contact occurs. The prime example of this are the roller bearings, that they fail not by “breaking”, but by surface fatigue at contact points or on the tracks where there is contact between the rings and the rolling bodies.

The optimization of the contact geometry, the material and the lubrication used can allow us to have larger admissible loads or lower system's costs where there is great influence of the contact fatigue. To make this optimization easier, a software was developed for a Windows platform, including the whole contact theory, the life calculations under surface fatigue and the lubricating fluid film thickness. In an interactive way, the user can change the data entrances such as material or geometry until an ideal solution is found for its problem. The software also takes into consideration the instruction in the area of subsurface fatigue, not a well-known topic and dealt with in a more general way by engineers and technical personnel.