자동차 변속기용 깊은 홈 볼 베어링의 내구수명 향상

Abstract

Automotive transmission systems are assembled with a large number of gears and shafts, and rolling bearings are used to ensure their smooth operation. Gear oil in the gear box contains solid particles such as wear debris from contacting gears and metallic chips. This particle-enriched lubricating oil can cause premature failure of the rolling bearings. Research aimed at improving the service life of these rolling bearings has been confined mainly to design and lubrication of the inner/outer rings and the rolling elements. In this paper, we redesigned the shape of the cage pocket of a deep groove ball bearing to reduce the premature failure due to particle contamination. Test bearings are assembled with this new cage design containing a hole punched in the cage pocket. Endurance tests are carried out using the contaminated lubricating oil with miracle grid as hard particle. The duration and damaged bearing component shapes are compared for two different cages. The B10 life of bearing with new cage is increased by about 66% compared to the conventional cage. This is because the hard particles can be easily discharged through the pocket hole without staying for a long time in the lubrication regions. This greatly decreases abrasive wear and dents on the highly stressed ball bearing surfaces. Therefore, the cage design of this study, containing a pocket hole, can significantly delay the premature failure of rolling bearings and improve the endurance life.